Pack Mate
by Lady Grail
Summary: Scott has been dealing with being a werewolf but he forgets that even in high school someone is listening and someone has learned his secret and hopes to have him put the bite on her. Please Review!
1. Chapter 1

25

Pack Mate

Chapter One

Scott McCall has been dealing with a life unlike that of any normal teenager. As he and his best friend Stiles, navigate the unknown territory of Scott's new werewolf existence, they forget that despite how self-absorbed American teenagers are, there are always those who listen in when no one else _thinks they are. _

_Journal Entry 2356_

_I finally found one! After years of searching and numerous dead ends, I finally found one! Now I just have to work up the nerve to talk to him. Sigh. After spending most of my life trying to be invisible, how can make myself known? The last time I even attempted to talk to one of them, I failed horribly. _

School had been much of the same challenges as Scott worked with Stiles to control his rage and emotions. Recently it had become harder and harder to maintain control whenever he was with Allison. Even her smell seemed to put every nerve on edge. Little did he know another surprise was literally waiting around the corner.

As Scott rounded the hall towards his locker, a hand shot out and grabbed him. He turned and was faced with a girl, in long, dirty clothes.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked.

"Can I help you?" Scott said.

"Not here, come." She led him around back away from the student body and turned to face him. It seemed to take a lot for her to look him in the face. "I heard you talking, to that boy, Stiles."

"Yeah, he's my best friend, we talk a lot." Scott's eyebrows went up. _What is up with this girl, does she like Stiles or something?_

"I heard you talking about werewolves."

The pit of his stomach dropped. She had Scott's full attention now. "That was a movie he had watched, some classic black and white."

"Liar," she whispered.

"What's your problem?" Scott turned to leave and she grabbed his shoulder.

"Please don't go. I need your help."

"Yeah right." Scott continued to walk and she ran in front of him and planted her feet.

"I need you to bite me," she stared at him. There was such a haunting need in those brown eyes as they looked out from behind her glasses. Scott's throat went dry and he pushed her aside.

"You're crazy. Just leave me alone," Scott said as he bolted down the hallway and way from the girl with the tangled hair.

_Journal Entry 2358_

_Well, I failed miserably. Not as bad as with Derek but still, I think Scott believes I am off my rocker. So much for plan A. It is time to move to plan B. I am so nervous. What's the worst that could happen? I'm already as good as dead. _

Scott made it class seconds before the bell. His extra speed made getting to class on time a success in the past few weeks. Stiles looked at him as Scott took his seat.

"Why'd you ditch me?" Stiles asked.

"There was this girl, she grabbed me," Scott whispered.

"What?" Stiles gave his best friend a sly smile.

"Not like that you pervert. She had overheard us talking about you know what."

Stiles paled. "No way."

"Yeah, she asked me to bite her." Scott could still remember her eyes, and how she almost pleaded with him. He shook his head. This girl had no idea what she was asking.

"What was she crazy or something?" Stiles asked.

"I guess. But we need to watch what we say at school from now on."

Stiles laughed. "Good luck with that one, you still struggle with your heart rate."

"I know." Scott hunched down behind his desk.

"What are you going to do?"

"Ignore it, I guess. I mean, why try anything unless she continues to bug me."

"I am about to start class, gentlemen. If it is not too much trouble can I have your attention," the teacher said.

"Yes sir," Stiles and Scott said in unison.

The rest of the day went by as normal. Jackson continued to threaten Scott with finding out his secret. Lydia kept trying to boss him around. But the strange girl never bothered him again. In fact he didn't even see her for the rest of the week. Besides Scott had other things to worry about, Allison was becoming more and more assertive with her advances and it was only a matter of time before Scott's choir boy behaviors were going to get him in trouble or before the wolf's instinct took over. Just the thought of it tied Scott's stomach in knots. Scott had almost lost her once, and winning her back had been tricky.

_Journal Entry 2362_

_Tonight's the Full Moon. I have been following Scott for the last 3 days getting a feel for his patterns at night. His beast side apparently likes to roam around at night. I was almost caught once. Thank goodness for the wildlife research center scent killer spray. The guy at the Hunter's Rack had been dead on with this one. I have been doing the research. I must be the one to act before his bloodlust takes control. I am the alpha female. I must initiate the dance, at any cost, I must succeed. _

Scott stood at the edge of the school field. Derek was waiting. The full moon was tonight and already Scott's blood was on the rise. He scanned the wood, hoping the alpha was still staying away. Scott could not understand why such a creature with a vendetta would suddenly just disappear.

"What are you doing here?" Scott demanded.

"Watching out for you," Derek said in his normal flat but ferocious tone. "Tonight's the full moon. Have you been practicing?"

"Yes." Scott hated asking Derek for advice, but it helped, despite the price Derek planned to take from Scott.

"I want you to come to the house tonight."

"Are we going to beat the crap out of each other again?" Scott asked. Derek looked at him and Scott struggled to meet his gaze.

"Tonight I am going to hunt the alpha," he poked Scott in the chest," While you stay somewhere safe and away from the hunting grounds."

Scott pushed his hand away. "If I remember correctly, your house was ground zero for the alpha."

Derek snorted. "No, I made sure you won't be disturbed and besides there is now a wolf's bane circle going around the house."

"Isn't that poisonous to us?" Scott remembered when he had dug up Derek's sister. Her body had been enclosed in a ring of wolf's bane that was woven into a rope that made a circle. It had nearly choked him to death when Stiles had brought the rope in his backpack after the police had cleared the scene. Derek moved in closer to Scott staring him in the eye. There was an intensity in his gaze that made Scott almost weak in the knees but he stared back at the werewolf in front of him.

"Yes, wolfs bane can be poisonous but it also can contain us. If you are in the house before sunset, before the moon rises, the circle will keep you confined to the house." Derek waited for Scott to absorb this.

Scott didn't like it, not one little bit. "What if I don't want to stay at your house?"

"Do you have a better idea? I spent a lot of time setting this up. Or would you rather end up at Allison's and have her father kill you? Or worse you kill her?"

Scott glared at Derek, but he was right. "Fine I will be there."

"Good." Derek nodded and walked away. Scott turned to his phone and saw that Stiles was calling. Thank goodness it was Friday night.

"Stiles, I need a favor," Scott said.

Scott walked up to the deserted house. Stiles had offered to come, but this was something he had to do on his own. Already Scott could smell the wolf's bane. This stuff was toxic. Just coming near it made his nose itch and his chest hurt. Looking in front of him small piles of the herb made a perfect ring around the house, even more than what had been woven into the rope. Scott stalked around the circle trying to find a place where the herb was a little less dense. _How the hell did Derek set this up?_ Scott took several steps backwards. Since the bite he could leap further than any normal human being. Scott was just going to have to take a leap of faith that Derek knew what he was doing.

A howl broke through the air, and Scott spun around, eyes wide and burning yellow. His nose filled with something new and he felt the need to shift rise up within him, it was happening a good two hours earlier than last full moon. Scott bent down low to the ground letting the wind carry the scent to him and masking his own. The shift took him. His tongue ran across his fangs helping to draw in the scent on the winds, all thoughts of finding safety inside the decrepit house, fled his memory as he began to track of his prey.

Scott stalked through the trees, not running but a smooth pace that allowed him to follow the scent as it took him deep into the forest. The scent was growing stronger, calling him on, and pushing him forward. The moon rose full in the sky as he approached a small clearing in the wood. In the darkness, Allison stepped out into the moon light. She wore a short skirt and tiny tank top, barely covering her bra. Scott paced on the outskirts of the clearing. Allison raised her hand calling to him. Then she lifted her fingers to her lips and blew him a kiss.

Scott was racing towards her before he could even stop himself; she was in his arms kissing him, her tongue running across his fangs. He took a deep breath, and froze. This wasn't Allison. Her skin was rough and bumpy in places, like old scars and scabs, rubbing against his skin. Then Scott pulled back, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. The new scent that had drawn him into the woods hit him again and he was lost to his senses.

Stiles woke to the beeping on his phone. It was 4 AM and there was a message from Scott's phone but it wasn't from Scott.

Scott is out on Route 17, near mile marker 143. Pick him up – A friend

Stiles blinked back the sleep and grabbed his pants. Whoever had sent the message it could not have been for a good reason. _We should have never trusted Derek_. Stiles tried to call the number back but it was blocked. The last time someone had sent secret messages, the alpha had tried to force Scott to kill his friends. This could be a trap, but still he had to go. Scott might be dangerous but he still was his best friend.

The smell of mud and dead leaves filled Scott's senses, as a heroin's scream filled the air. Scott started awake and found himself in the nook between the roots of an old pine tree. His mouth was covered in something tacky and crumbly. He smelled blood and something else… something new. Reaching up to wipe the sleep from his face and down his chin, he came away with the flaky crust of blood. _There's blood on my mouth…._His heart began to race. Backing out of the roots and away from the trees Scott pushed himself up, his head swimming. There were flashes, of the dream he had been having. Allison was in them again, and they had been making out, only to become more intense, more animalistic. Scott flashed to remembering her under him; remembered her smell, the taste of her skin, how she struggled and how she said she wanted it. His eyes searched the ground, no bodies, and only a little blood. Scott grabbed his head, running now, trying not to remember. _God it was so real! Just like before…._

In a blind panic Scott ran, until his bare feet hit the pavement, a car screamed passed and swerved to a stop, Stiles jumped out. "Scott!"

"Stiles… help," Scott mumbled and fell to his knees.

Stiles had seen some really messed up things with Scott and his werewolf adventures; still this has to be one of the worst. Scott was a mess. The stains on his clothing, skin, and mouth looked like blood. Had the alpha forced him to kill? Stiles pushed the thought back in his head as be helped Scott to his feet and shoved him in the passenger side seat of the Jeep. Racing around to the other side, Stiles slid into the driver's seat and started the engine. Scott huddled in the seat, wrapping his arms around his chest.

"What happened?" Stiles asked.

"I don't know. All I remember is going to Derek's house and not being able to cross over the wolf's bane. I remember choking. And then there was this really weird dream."

Stiles' went on high alert. "What kind of dreams?"

"Allison was in it again." Scott pressed his head against the window. "It felt so real, like it actually happened."

"Why do I feel like we have been here before…" Scott jerked his head up and glared at Stiles. Stiles threw up his hands. "I'm just saying, that last time you told me a dream felt real, the bus driver ended up on the menu for the alpha."

Scott dropped his head onto the dash board. "She wasn't there. No one was when I woke up."

"So that's a good thing, right?" Stiles watched his friend. Scott looked defeated. Stiles licked his lips. "Scott, just remember Allison was ok last time, this time may be as well. Just tell me what happened." Scott blushed. "What is it?" Stiles pressed.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Scott, I am your best friend. You can tell me. What did you finally get to second base with Allison?" Stiles had meant it as a joke, but Scott remained silent. "Third base?" Scott looked away and out the window. "No way man, you had a dream that you went all the way…"

Scott's head shot up. "Just shut up, Stiles!"

Stiles stifled a wicked giggle. "Well that explains the stains of your shorts…"

Scott punched him, "I said drop it." His eyes beginning to glow gold.

"Ok, ok. I'm sorry, calm down," Stiles said, eyes darting between Scott and the road.

The two friends sat in silence as Stiles drove. Scott focused on his breathing bringing his heart rate down, and focusing so he would not shift. Scott could hear Stiles' own heartbeat slow as well. The smell of what had happened last light filled his nostrils. Scott's scent he recognized, but the other… female? But not Allison, there was no scent on his body that was even close to what she smelled like. _Did I hurt someone? Raped someone? What about the blood on my mouth_? Scott's heart began to thunder in his chest again, but this time his mind was filled with guilt and shame. He blinked back the tears having nothing to do with his more animal instincts. _ God I don't want to remember. _

Stiles pulled up to Scott's house. His mother's car was not in the driveway, she had already gone to work. Scott said a small prayer of thanks that she would not see him come home like this.

"Hey man, you ok?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah, I'll see you at school." Scott crawled out the car and started to head to the front door until he realized he didn't have his keys, or his phone, or anything.

"Scott, we need to talk about last night…" Stiles started to say.

"Stiles, just wait until I've made sure Allison is ok." Scott headed towards his window but was stopped by Stiles standing in front of him.

"Dude, wait. Aren't you even a little bit curious how I found you this morning?"

"What? I can't think about this right now." Scott grabbed the railing and began to pull himself up towards his window through the route Stiles loved to use. "I will just see at school."

"Wait," Stiles shouted but Scott was gone. Stiles needed to tell him about the message and he wondered what would do once he realized he lost his phone and lost his ties to Allison and everyone else. Scott seemed really messed up after last night and Stiles hated to being in the dark in the latest trauma in Scott's wolf infested life. Stiles shook his head at the quiet house and headed back to the jeep. "Fine. See you in class."

_Journal Entry 2374_

_My whole body aches, but in a good way. I left him in the forest last night. He looked so peaceful. I hate the way I used him, but I needed it. Bandaging my left shoulder last night had been a pain. Not that I am not used to a little pain by now. The bite hurt more now than when it had occurred. Endorphins are awesome. Already I feel different. One month, then things really change. I have to give him his phone back though…_

Scott handed his tardy slip to the teacher and took his seat near Stiles. The hour long hot shower had taken off all the scents save for the DOVE for Men body wash. _Even cleaned up I feel dirty. _Next class at least he would be sitting next to Allison again. Stiles, kept trying to bug him but Scott ignored his pestering questions. When the bell rang it was like a siren screaming in the night. Scott bolted from his seat and was out the door. He made it to Allison's locker before the masses of the teenage student body poured into the halls. Scott stood searching the faces in the crowd, all his senses straining. He took in a deep breath through his nose, and caught the smell of something familiar, something from last night… then it was gone, and Allison's perfume filled the air. Scott opened his eyes as she walked up behind him.  
>"Hey, Scott."<p>

Scott turned around, a smile filling his face. "Allison."

Before she could respond, he kissed her.

"What was that for?" she said breaking out into a smile.

Scott smiled back. He would give anything to see her smile forever. "I just missed you."

"Aw you're so sweet. Ready for class?"

Scott shook his head. "As ready as I will ever be."

As they headed to class, Scott turned and looked around. There was something in the air, but it was gone again. With Allison under his arm, Scott flashed back to his dream, her kissing him and stroking his chest. He shut his eyes forcing himself to forget.

"Scott you, ok?" Allison asked.

"Yeah, sorry, just a headache." Scott gave her a smile as they went into their English class.

Somehow Scott made it through class. His head had stopped pounding and all he could think about was Allison. Being with her made everything good in the world. Nothing else seemed to matter and he could even put up with Jackson and Lydia and they joined Stiles at their lunch table. Amiss the joking, talk of animal attacks and lacrosse strategy, Scott caught that smell again. He looked around. There were so many people, so many bodies. It was impossible to pin point where it had come from.

"Scott, you ok?" Stiles asked.

Everyone at the table looked at Scott. He wanted to ignore the scent, wanted to forget, but it was there, hanging in the air tormenting him. This was all too distracting.

"Yeah," Scott said, eyes still searching, trying to find what his nose already had found.

"Scott?" Allison asked. Scott looked down at her and tried not to frown.

"I'll be right back." Scott stood and left the table.

Allison and Stiles exchanged a look.

"What's his problem?" Lydia asked, tossing her hair to the side.

"I'll go find out," Stiles said and before Allison could offer to help, Lydia grabbed her arm and shoved the latest Homecoming magazine at her.

"Allison I think I would look great in this dress…." Lydia descended into a level of analysis that would have impressed the most noteworthy scientist.

Scott could hear them as he followed his nose but with all his concentration on the hunt he soon stopped paying attention even as Stiles wove his way through the pulse of teenagers trying desperately to keep up.

In the empty hallway Scott stopped and took another long breath through his nose. He was getting close.

"Scott what is going on?" Stiles said coming up behind him, out of breath.

"I smell something, something from last night." Scott nose was better at remembering than he was. His mind flashed to the taste of skin under his tongue and he shuddered.

"Blood?" Stiles asked. Scott nodded his head.

"Maybe the person I hurt." Whoever this was, she was definitely female. The smell of blood was old, but still it was the same as what he had scrubbed from his boxers before coming to class.

"Really? Why would they come to school?" Stiles asked looking around. There weren't too many people in the hall now and Scott was still moving forward. People paid them little attention as they walked on.

"Why did I?" Scott looked at Stiles.

"Right," Stiles said. "Then maybe they are ok." Stiles watched as Scott continued to pause and take deep breaths of the air. They had slowed down and he looked a little lost. "Well are you sure the scent is fresh, I mean this is high school man."

"Of course I am sure," Scott growled.

"Well, lead on." Stiles made a sweeping gesture with his arms, and Scott shook his head resenting that he was nothing more than a blood hound. They wandered through the school coming to the remote access stairs. Scott opened the door and they walked in. The stairs were empty and dead silent.

"Well, l don't see anyone," Stiles said. "Let's head back to the cafeteria."

"Damn it," Scott growled. He had been so close. Scott slammed his back into the brick wall and slid down to the ground. Stiles watched his friend, frustrated by his silence and the implications of the attack meant more werewolves for the Alpha to control.

"Look man, ya gotta tell me what happened, or at least what you remember."

Scott's mind was racing. The scent was here, and it was almost like he could feel someone watching. Despite his heightened senses Sc ott could only hear Stiles' heartbeat which drowned out other noises from the background school commotion. Stiles stood there patient as always, or at least as patient as Stiles could pretend to be. Scott took a deep breath.

"Remember the dream with the bus driver?" Scott said.

"Yeah." Stiles did not like where this was going.

"Well last night was like that."

"But with the full moon last night…"

"Do you want to hear this?" Scott growled.

"Shutting up, now," Stiles said hands up in the air in surrender.

"I got to Derek's house and the moon rose," Scott hung his head. "And then Allison was there. Like before, she was so really hot, but really aggressive."

"In a good way?" Stiles asked. He had to get his thrills some way. Girls just seemed to ignore him at every turn.

"Yeah, I mean I never…, I mean in the dream, I was changed and she didn't care. She just kept coming on to me. Pressing her body to mine pressing close, biting and clawing me, I mean she isn't like that in real life. I couldn't tell you this morning. It made remembering even worse. I wanted her so badly. Things kept getting more and more intense, I tore her shirt off and her skirt got shredded but she kept… she wanted it even as she struggled in an aggressive way? I can't explain it, but one thing led to another. She was biting me, and I … I bit her back, on the shoulder I think when we…" Scott held out his hands and Stiles could put two and two together easily enough.

"Then what?" Stiles said sitting down on the nearest stair.

"I'm not sure." Scott pounded his head back against the wall. "I tasted blood and I woke up with blood on my mouth, but no one was there and I was in a hole at the base of the tree."

"You were in a den." Stiles was certain of it.

"What?" Scott looked up at him confused.

"Wolves make dens when they are gonna mate." Stiles explained.

"You're telling me I did it with a female wolf?"

"Maybe. Hey do you think the alpha could be a female?"

Just the thought of it made Scott sick to his stomach. "No way."

The silence hung in the air.

"Stiles, what if I raped someone? Bit them and made they like me." Stiles could almost taste the grief and shame in those words as they hung in the air. Stiles looked at his friend, who looked almost defeated.

"No way. You've already shown that you are not a killer. There is no way you are a rapist. Trust me."

"I'm not sure I can trust myself." Scott grabbed his head. "I'm a monster."

A sigh cut through the air, the sound did not come either of the boys. Scott and Stiles jerked their heads up.

"You're not ..." A voice whispered coming from about near the roof top access door.

Scott and Stiles were on their feet looking up the stairwell.

"Whose there?" Scott said.

Pulling from the stairwell and out of the shadows, a large girl emerged. She was as tall as Scott, and covered from head to toe in bulky clothes. Her brown hair hung in tangles around her shoulders, and her eyes were hidden behind large framed glasses, that had more than their fair share of scratches and the left side of her glasses had a piece that looked to be made from a different pair of glasses that slid over her ear. The girl's eyes darted around never holding a gaze as Scott and Stiles stared up at her. Now that she had moved down into the stairwell Scott was hit with her scent again. It almost staggered him but he hid his reaction.

"Who are you?" Stiles asked. Scott didn't need an answer, she was the girl who had asked him to bite her over a week ago and his nose knew her. She had been the one from last night.

"Megan," she said looking at the ground as she walked down the stairs towards them.

"What are you doing here?" Stiles asked.

"Hiding," Megan whispered.

"From me?" Scott said, looking afraid.

Megan took a step forward shaking her head. "No, not really. I always hide at school."

"What are you hiding from?" Stiles asked.

"Everyone," Megan said, but then a crooked smile crept across her lips. "I guess it was kinda stupid of me to think I could hide from a werewolf."

"Wait…you know what he is?" Stiles looked in shock.

"Of course." Megan had reached the base of the stairs and stood within reach.

Scott could smell the blood, her blood. He couldn't see the bandage, but he knew it was there. _What did I do to her?_ His breath was coming out in gasps.

"You're ok?" Scott managed to ask.

"I'm better than ok," Megan started to say, but the bell rang for all students to return to class. "We better get going."

As she turned to leave, Scott grabbed her arm. A startled sound escaped her lips as she began to pant in pain, and fell to her knees. Scott dropped her arm in an instant.

"Careful man!" Stiles was by her side in an instant. "Scott what did you do?"

"No, … no, it's my fault, it's ok," Megan said. For the first time Stiles could see her eyes, they were hazel shifting from brown to green. She stared back at him.

"How can you say that? It's not OK! I hurt you." Scott felt his world was crashing down. _ I never wanted anyone to go through what I am going through. I did not want this!_

"No more than I wanted." Megan held her arm and massaged away the pain as Stiles helped her to her feet.

"Stop it! How can you say that!" Scott snarled. She was acting so damn calm about everything.

"You really don't remember do you?" Megan asked. She searched his face. Scott's eyes were filled with so much pain, it almost melted her heart, but she bit the inside of her cheek, using the pain to focus.

"Remember what?" Scott said walking her into the wall. She smelled so familiar, something set his pulse racing and he pushed it away. _I love Allison. _With that thought the urgency subsided and he was hit by the smell of blood on her breath, her blood which confused him.

Megan just shook her head. "Look we have to go to class. I will explain after school."

"Class doesn't matter," Scott said. He wasn't about to let her walk out as if nothing happened. His heart was racing but he felt more like a claw was clenching down on his chest. He was responsible for her. She was going to need him like he had and still did, need Derek. Just the thought of explaining this to Derek brought on a new wave of dread. Still Megan was trying to leave. She put her hands on his chest and with her right hand forced his head up to look at her.

"Scott, you just ripped my bandage, I need to go change it before class. I will heal just like you did. We need to keep up appearances and I need my grades to be good even if you don't."

That last comment hurt. Scott's grades had just been pulled up to a C average thanks to a lot of help from Stiles. Still he couldn't focus on something as trivial as grades. But he took a step back. Megan's hands dropped to her side.

"Maybe she has a point Scott," Stiles said. Scott gave him a harsh look.

"Oh," Megan said dipping into her pocket. "This is yours." She handed Scott his cell phone. He had three missed calls and four texts from Allison. That alone brought him back to the importance of school. "You should call her."

Just looking at Megan, reminded Scott of his betrayal of Allison. How could he have… did they even? So many questions flooded his mind as his guilt racked his brain. It hurt more to see that Megan was so cool and composed. She should have been terrified. What was wrong with her?

"You sent the message last night?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah, I didn't want Scott to wake up alone." Megan held open the door.

"Why was that important?" Scott managed to ask.

"Trust me, I've been there," Megan shook her head she wanted to say more but suggested something else instead. "Let's meet there after school."

"Fine," Scott said and Megan pushed past him and ducked down the hall and was gone.

"How the hell does she do that?" Stiles asked. He couldn't remember ever seeing that girl, and yet…maybe he had. She was even a bigger loner and outside than he and Scott had been. There was something about her, besides her being a werewolf. From what Stiles could see she still was semi-normal. Scott on the other hand seemed about to have a nervous breakdown.

"Stiles, I attacked her…" Scott said looking lost.

"I know, man. But she seems ok with it." Stiles wasn't sure if his comment helped or hurt Scott more.

"That's what worries me." With that the last bell rang. "Well we are late to class again, let's go."

The last two classes came and went. Scott could not focus. He hardly heard the teacher and even Stiles was silent. _How could I have done that? I am a monster… and now so is she. Derek is gonna kill me._

The final bell rang and Scott headed to his locker. Thankfully there was no practice today. He knew Stiles would drive them, but what was he going to say. There was no way to fix this; just like that his life was getting worse. He opened his locker letting the smells of his uniform, textbooks and papers fill him with familiarity. Two arms wrapped themselves around his chest as Allison's perfume filled the air. He let his head drop as he leaned into her embrace.

"Hey handsome." Allison laid her head on his back between his shoulder blades. Her warmth seemed to sooth some of the ache in his heart. _What if it had been her? _ A dark voice inside whispered.

"Scott, are you ok?" Allison asked.

"Yeah," Scott turned and Allison still held on as he turned around to face her transitioning her hands to his. Scott looked up at her. "I know we were to meet up right after school, but something has come up, can we meet later tonight instead?"

"Sure, what is going on?" Allison asked. "You aren't going to lose your phone again?"

Scott had spent the breaks between class catching up and apologizing to Allison for not calling or texting her back. He told her that he had left his phone with Stiles and wormed his way back into her good graces in no time flat.

"I need to help Stiles with something for his dad and I kinda forgot about it."

"You have been doing that a lot lately," Allison scolded. "Care to meet for coffee at say five?"

"Five is great." Scott smiled.

"All right," Allison jumped on tip toes and gave Scott a kiss that melted him down to his toes. "See you then tiger."

"Ok." Scott watched Allison head to her car. Stiles came up behind him. Under his arm were several papers and a yearbook. He seemed excited. Scott didn't have the heart to tell him to get lost, though he had been dreading the end of school since class got out.

"So I spent a little time doing some research," Stiles said flipping through the year book.

"What kind of research?" Scott asked.

"I found out who that girl is."

"Really?" Now he had Scott's full attention.

"Yeah, she's been going to this school as long as either of us, and we even have had a few classes with her in the past."

"What?" Scott racked his brain. He couldn't remember ever seeing Megan, let alone having a class with her. Was she really that invisible?

"I know, it is like she's a ghost or something, but thanks to my dad and his connections I learned that her full name is Megan Donahue. See here is the only picture I could find of her in the yearbook." Stiles pointed to the black and white photo of Megan, hiding behind layers of clothing, a scarf and those same glasses. "Megan is seventeen but is a sophomore because of her birthday being in December. She has almost perfect grades, and attendance, but is not involved in any school activities. She doesn't even have any friends or anyone who really knows her either."

"What?" Scott couldn't believe it.

"Yeah. It is like she is trying to stay off the radar. But the few things I did learn is that she never changes for gym in the locker room and wears only long sleeves, long skirts or pants, even in the summer."

"Why would she do that?" Scott was becoming more curious by the moment. Knowing who Megan was a person might explain why she was so cold, so weird.

"No clue, I thought you could tell me." Stiles ran his hand over the stubble of his hair.

Scott shook his head. "Let's get out of here."

Scott headed over to his bike to unlock it to throw in the back of Stiles Jeep. The sound of a motorcycle came up next to him followed by the smell of Megan. She killed the engine as she pulled up next to him. Removing her helmet, she faced him.

"You still coming?" Megan asked.

"Yeah." Scott looked her up and down, the baggy clothing was now covered in a long leather jacket, and matching gloves.

"You know we could just forget the whole thing. You live your life and I live mine, and go our separate ways," Megan offered.

_She's trying to ditch me? _"No, I want to know."

Megan frowned. "Knowing the truth is not always a good thing, Scott."

"I don't care."

Megan looked at him and frowned. "OK, see you there." With that she plunked the helmet down on her head and with a flick of her wrist the motorcycle came to life and she was speeding away. Stiles appeared only moments later and Scott threw his bike in the back of the Jeep.

"Was that her?" Stiles asked.

"Yup," Scott said taking shot gun seat in the Jeep. "Floor it."

Megan had already left them in the dust. There was no sign of the motorcycle on the highway. Pulling up to mile marker 143 on route 17, Stiles killed the engine as he pulled off to the side of the road where the old motorcycle was leaned up against a tangled pine tree. The helmet and leather jacket were draped over the back of the bike. Scott got out of the Jeep, followed by Stiles.

"Where is she?" Stiles asked.

"This way," Scott mumbled and walked into the woods. The trees became denser for a moment but after walking a few minutes they came to a small clearing where the sun broke through the branches above. Megan was standing there in the sun light. Her glasses were gone, her hair free and her hoodie pulled back. A white bandage creeped up her shoulder and was barely visible as Scott and Stiles entered the clearing. Megan turned around.

"Do you remember this place?" Megan asked Scott as she turned around to face them.

"Should I?" Scott asked. He actually did remember, it was where he had woken up only hours prior. Behind Megan he could see the hole that Stiles had called a den.

Megan shrugged. "It is where I first saw you."

"You said you would tell me what happened," Scott said. It was hard to keep the bitterness out of his voice or a growl. _I have to know…_

Megan nodded. "I did." Reaching up, she pulled the zipper down on her hoodie and removed her jacket.

"What are you doing?" Stiles asked.

"I find visual aids are more helpful. You should be honored I haven't shown my body to anyone voluntarily since I was ten."

Scott and Stiles exchanged a look. Stiles looked flabbergasted. As Megan peeled away the layers of jackets and shirts it was apparent she wasn't as overweight as they had thought. Megan still had curves, but now as she revealed a baby girl black t-shirt, Scott and Stiles watched the bruises, the cuts and most of all the scars that appeared lining her arms, neck, and sides. There was a large set of four that looked like healed claw marks on her upper left arm. Even that layer came off. A large white bandage was clearly visible under her faded red spaghetti tank top on the right side of her neck. The tank was short and revealed her stomach. White crosshatch scars covered her muffin top. The boys stood speechless staring at her. Megan reached down, and pushed her skirt down revealing a tiny set of biker shorts. Her legs were covered in scars and bruises as well; she turned to step out of the skirt revealing what looked like a brand across her back. The burns were crud and the word MINE was scrawled visible for anyone to see. It was apparent several different items had been used to make those marks. Something like a knife blade, a lighter top and things neither Scott nor Stiles could identify.

"Jesus Christ," Stiles swore. Scott could just stare. Megan wasn't necessarily pretty and it was obvious that she was curves moving toward being plump, but no one deserved to have that much damage done to them. She had been tortured. Still Scott's eyes could not leave the claw marks on her arm or the bruises on her legs. Megan wrapped her right arm around her body holding her wrist as she grabbed her good shoulder and looked up at them.

"What happened to you?" Scott managed to say.

"It's in the past." Megan traced a set of cigarette burns which trailed down her arm.

"Bull shit!" Scott said, clenching his hands into fists. The outrage over what had been done to her welled up inside him without explanation. Megan seemed to react to his emotional rush with her own body language of a different type of outrage. She looked Scott dead in the eye.

"Scott, this is why I wanted the bite, Scott. I need to be stronger." Megan dug her fingers into her scars leaving red marks but not breaking the skin.

"Who did this to you?" Stiles demanded. His face was full of rage. The wheels were turning in his head; he needed to tell his dad. _Why hadn't she told anyone?_ Scott walked forward and reached out to touch her arm where his claws had given her a new set of scabs.

"That's my business; there is nothing to be done now."

"How can you say that?" Stiles asked.

"See cuts are already half way healed. I am sure I will have healed by tomorrow. How long did it take your bite to heal?" Megan asked looking at her arm.

Scott gently touched her arm. Flashes of the dream came back but this time Megan stood where Allison had been in the dream. He fell backwards panting. "I attacked you…" _Why the hell is she not afraid of me?_

"No, that happened when you rolled me over onto my stomach, before we…" Megan swallowed the last words when she saw the disgust and fear on Scott's face.

"What happened?" Stiles demanded.

Megan took a deep breath and blew it out pushing the hair out of her face. "I set a trap."

"A trap?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah, since Scott had already told me that he would not give me the bite when his human nature was in control, I figured I had to appeal my case to his other nature." Megan began to collect her clothing and fold it up.

"What?" Scott asked. He could not believe what he was hearing.

Megan rolled her eyes. "I figured out how to talk like a wolf. A wolf in heat, case in point."

"That worked?" Stiles asked.

"Well duh." Both Scott and Megan stared at Stiles.

"How do you set a trap for a werewolf?" Scott asked.

"I knew that during the full moon a werewolf's bloodlust would be at its peak," Megan said to Scott.

"That's because you read the same books I did," Stiles said. Scott and Megan looked at him. "I used my dad's computer to look at the library records. She checked out all the books I did. But wasn't that like years ago."

"Yeah, I've been researching werewolves for about five years now," Megan said pulling skirt back on.

"So you could make this trap?" Scott asked.

Megan shook her head. "That came later, I wanted to be stronger, to protect myself, to deal with this."

"Why me?"

"Derek, turned me down and he is better at control than a newly bitten wolf. Did you know he was born a werewolf?" Megan said this as if was no big deal.

Scott nodded his head, this didn't answer things it just gave him more questions. He was so frustrated. Megan was so cavalier like she didn't care that dealing with him was a chore.

Megan plopped down in a pile of leaves. "Sit, make yourself comfortable." Stiles turned around and leaned against a tree.

Scott looked at the two of them and shook his head. "Why did you bring us here?"

"To help you, Scott, remember. I told you this is where we met up last night." Megan reached out and touched the ground in front of her.

"I'd just like to point out, that you never explained who the hell has been hurting you," Stiles said.

"Lots of people have liked hurting me over the years." Megan grabbed a pile of leaves crushing them with a loud crunch as she closed her hand into a fist as if remembering something painful. "It is what happens when your mom is a junkie. Let's just say she likes to bring home a number of interesting individuals."

"And she let them hurt you?" Stiles asked.

Megan shrugged and bit back a bitter smile. "Sometimes she helped."

"God that is horrible." Scott looked at her.

Megan tried to smile. "I just go away inside when it is happening, most of the time. Pain can only be ignored for so long. It hasn't happened in a while, but that is because I rarely go home if I can help it."

"Why haven't you run away?" Stiles asked. "I mean there are people who could help you; I mean my dad."

Megan shook her head. "Not gonna happen. My uncle would never allow it. He controls my mom and she controls me."

"What does he want?" Scott asked.

"My father's money, it is in a trust fund till I am 21. Most of the monthly stipend ends up in my uncle's pocket or up my mother's nose."

"Wait a minute, is that why you wanted to be a werewolf? So you could rip their throats out or something?" Scott asked, looking horrified.

"I thought about, hell I wished for it when I was a kid. Especially when _he_ was in my mother's life."

"Who?" Scott asked.

"All I know is that his name was Mac. He was a possessive, evil, SOB. He's the one who gave me that scarification tattoo that says MINE across my back. But thankfully he had shot me up with morphine he had acquired beforehand. I don't remember him doing it, but let's just say the next few weeks were hell when wearing clothes. I never thought he would leave us alone. It was the only decent thing my uncle ever did for us was having him arrested."

"That's awful." Scott looked at her. This girl had been through more horrors than he had even as a werewolf. Despite all the horrible things he had seen and done or almost done, Scott had only a taste in his life of the terrible things people could do to one another. How was Megan able to talk about her trauma with such detachment? Scott had never been able to put aside his feelings on anything, especially after he was bitten.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Stiles asked. "This doesn't make any sense. Why would you allow yourself to take such abuse?"

Megan glared at him, and then her face crumpled. "I told you. I'm weak. She's still my mom. I couldn't leave her."

"We'll help you," Scott said kneeling next to her.

"You already have Scott." Megan bit her lower lip as Scott's eyes clouded with shame and guilt. He looked so lost and Megan grabbed his hand. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"What did I exactly do to you last night?" Scott managed to ask.

"I told you, I manipulated the situation and made a trap for you, something your wolf side could not resist." Megan let go of his hand and pulled back since being close and touching Scott only seemed to provoke more reactions of shame and sadness when their skin connected.

"Like what?" Stiles asked.

"I made a mixture of rhodium, oil of fenugreek, oil of cumin, and flour of sweet fennel. For some reason this is like catnip to wolves and hunters have been using it for years to lure them into traps and snares." Megan reached down into her jacket and handed a vial to Stiles. He looked at her and popped the top to take a sniff.

"That's foul." Stiles put the lid back on. "I doubt Scott would be attracted….Whoa!" As Stiles looked over at Scott, Scott's eyes turned golden and he began to pant.

"Put it away," Scott growled.

"Ok, I see you made your point," Stiles said tucking the vial into his pocket.

Megan withdrew another vial and removed the lid, then leaning over towards Scott she made to place it under his nose.

"NO!" Scott bolted back.

"Scott this is a scent killer, also used by hunters to mask their scent when stalking deer. But it also gets rid of other smells." Scott stared up at Megan as his teeth and claws began to grow along with other things. "Trust me," Megan said and Scott reached up with claws extended and took the vial. Drawing it to his nose, he took a deep breath in. Something inside seemed to unclench. Scott closed his eyes and felt his body return to normal.

"See? All better." Megan took the vial back and sat back down.

"That was like super cool," Stiles said and Megan handed him the vial.

"It only works with scent triggers it won't help if you are super pissed off or anything but any pheromone driven changes can be redirected using that."

"You sound more prepared for this than I was or am," Scott said.

"Five years study will do that, but it is no comparison to actually experiencing it." Megan gently stroked her clawed arm.

"I am so sorry," Scott started to say, but Megan cut him off.

"Save it, you did NOT do anything wrong. I manipulated you, so you did not have a choice, if anything I should be apologizing to you."

"But…" Scott started to say but Megan glared at him, her eyes like ice.

"Remember the bloodlust, where you can't remember anything? There is a reason I choose that time of the month."

"But he could have killed you," Stiles added.

"You forget an important part of the word bloodlust. The LUST part is what matters, especially with teenage boys," Megan said with almost a cruel smile. "I used that and the mating urge that exists in all mammals to drive you into my trap. "

"How?" Scott asked.

"Human beings forget how powerful body language is, and this is more so in the animal kingdom since animals cannot rely on words to convey how they feel." As if to exemplify this Megan leaned back on her hands and stretched like a bored cat.

"So what, you just walked a certain way and that was all it took?" Stiles asked.

"In a manner of speaking." Megan played with her cuts again. Watching her do so bothered Scott.

"Wait a minute, I remember in the dream, Allison was acting strange but it was like a …huge… turn on …for me." Just saying that made him feel dirty, sick, and ashamed, but it made sense. For Scott certain things that had been happening with Derek, the alpha, even other people like the other players on the lacrosse field began to make sense. Things that should not have bothered him before, now grated on his nerves. Was it just body language? Was he picking up on signals that he hadn't noticed before?

"Exactly, I was talking to the wolf side of your brain. Different behaviors of aggression at just the right moment, along with tenderness at the right moment can have a powerful affect."

"We've all seen that happen, even with normal people," Stiles said.

"I stood before your wolf side, without fear, making all the right signals and following your lust, feeding it so that you wouldn't tear out my throat." Megan looked at Scott, really looked at him. Her hazel eyes seemed to burn. "Plus I made certain not to talk."

"Why?"

"Humans key into voice, wolves not so much. Wolves rely on sense of smell over every other sense."

Stiles shot Scott a look, they were thinking the same time, Allison's voice was like an anchor for Scott to keep his humanity in tack and avoid the Shift. This girl somehow had figured that out.

"That was it?" Scott asked.

Megan bit her lip and blushed. "There was a moment when I almost lost your interest, but I was able to change your mind…I urinated."

"Why? That's gross," Scott scoffed.

"Nice turn on," Stiles teased.

Megan rolled her eyes. "In the wolf kingdom that is like the go signal to the male from the female during intercourse. Think of it like when a girl nibbles your ear or sticks her tongue down your throat. There are just certain things that click with the animal side of your brain that don't make any sense in any part of the normal routine."

"Ok…" Scott looked doubtful. He felt sick. He didn't want to believe her, but she wasn't lying, it was as if he could tell. But she was so blunt. It wasn't even hard for her to talk about it.

"Let's just say once I did that, you gave me these," Megan gestured to her arm. "Then you flipped me on my stomach and bit my shoulder and let's just say Mother Nature took over, for both of us."

Scott felt sick. Not that Megan wasn't a nice person; well she still had yet to prove she was a nice person. But she did explain things better than Derek and had given him that scent killer stuff. Then again she had gotten what she wanted. Scott felt so _used_. Still, his first time, and he couldn't even remember it. He felt dirty and sick. Megan seemed to sense his feelings. She moved towards him and with a soft hand, lifted his chin to look her in the eye.

"I am so sorry Scott for what I did. Now. Breathe."

The air he had been holding inside came out. Scott took a deep breath. He took in her scent, her real scent, not that concoction she had made. She smelled safe, familiar, like home, like his mom almost but different. Nothing stirred below his belt and he let her draw him into a hug. The smells drew him down, into his memories. He saw that night, her taking his clawed hand in hers, taking him as he was and offering herself to him, without fear all her scars in plain view. Even last night the sight of them made him angry. He had been almost as afraid of her as she was supposed to be, of him. Everything she had told him was true; the memories came flooding back to him as she held him.

"I raped you," he whispered.

"No."

"How can you say that?" Scott shouted pulling away. "I remember what I did to you. It wasn't human."

Megan raised an eyebrow at him and gave him a crooked smile. "Trust me, what we did was totally human and was not that different than any other red blooded all American male."

"But…" Megan placed her finger on his lips stifling the questions.

"Scott, it was just sex. Trust me, I wanted this, that night, it was all according to my plan."

"How can you say that?"

"I was raped more times than I care to remember. The first time was when I was eleven."

"My god…" Scott whispered.

"I told you, I was my mother's party favor." Megan pulled back. " I was lucky I knew how to protect myself at least from pregnancy. I've been on the pill for years."

Scott felt his stomach drop. The whole experience last night took on whole new implications. Megan must have read the concern on his face.

"I'm clean Scott. I get checked out each month just in case, and I have a nice stock of the morning after pill."

"Well, that's good, I guess," Stiles said.

Stiles had managed to keep his big mouth shut through the entire discussion. Megan's words seemed to shred Scott to the core, but she wasn't being cruel on purpose. Stiles could feel his own outrage at her situation. He and Scott were more upset that Megan appeared to be. This act she was putting on, couldn't be how she really felt? Most of his life as the sheriff's son had been filled with the excitement of a murder and the mayhem that followed. Stiles had even gotten his wish to a degree with Scott becoming a werewolf; I mean who wouldn't want a superhero as a friend? But with Megan telling her horror story, he didn't feel excited, he was angry. What she had been through was worse than his darkest imaginings of what their small town could offer.

"Scott," Megan said forcing him to meet her eyes again, "You can't rape the willing. But I did take something from you, and I had forgotten how devastating that can be."

Scott reached up and touched her hand.

"Now what?" Scott asked.

"You don't love me. And I don't love you, but I knew that going in. I am sure you wanted your first time to be with Allison," Megan said giving his hand a squeeze.

Just hearing her say Allison's name was like a punch in the stomach. He felt as if he had betrayed her. Even now, being close to Megan felt good, but she was right, there was no love connection.

"Why do I feel like this?" Scott asked.

"Like what?" Stiles asked. He was seriously concerned that his friend had been bewitched or something.

"I feel it too, you feel safe, familiar, like family," Megan said. "At least what my family felt like before my mom turned to drugs."

"Yeah, family." Scott looked at her. She was right that is what it felt like.

"Well that makes sense," Stiles said. "I mean didn't Derek say that the bite from a werewolf makes you from the same pack?"

"I guess," Scott said. "But I don't get any warm fuzzies from the alpha."

"Maybe it's because he is the alpha," Megan pondered. "But I think it is time to go, it's getting dark."

"Wait, where are you gonna go? You can't go home," Stiles said. Scott looked at Megan as she smiled.

"I'm not afraid to go home anymore, Stiles." Megan putting the last of her clothing back on.

"Let us help you. I can get my dad; he'd know what to do." Stiles looked so concerned it almost melted Megan's heart but she shook her head.

"Give me a month and I will take you up on that offer." Megan brushed back her hair and threw on her jacket.

Scott and Stiles shared a look. "But that's after the full moon," Scott said. "You have no idea what's it like."

"Oh, I think I have an idea," Megan said lifting an eyebrow. "Besides the full moon is not the only reason to wait. I have been filing for emancipation as a minor. In a month I will be able to evict my mother, hopefully get her into a treatment facility and access some of my money for the first time in my life. I will finally be able to stand on my own. The bite you gave me, Scott, will ensure that no one can take that away from me."

"What about the hunters?" Stiles asked. "Trust me, if you go on a killing spree they will be after you."

Megan had to smile. "I am not planning on killing anyone."

"You may not get a choice," Scott said. "Derek said the alpha can call me out against my will. Who's to say he won't do the same to you?"

"I can't say that, but after what I have lived through, that is the least of my worries."

Scott and Stiles could not say anything to counter that, though the fish mouth Stiles was making sure indicated that he wanted to say something.

Megan turned to Stiles. "When I take back my home, I will have your dad come to help me, I'd really like if you would be there to stand by me, but I understand if you cannot."

"Oh, we'll be there. Count on it," Stiles said.

Scott touched her arm. "In the meantime, you should check in with me. I want to make sure you are doing all right."

"Like you check in with Derek?" Megan countered and Scott flinched.

Scott pressed on. "It's just, I was alone, when I first changed, and I don't want it to be like that for you. I mean I was almost killed by the hunters." Scott still remembered the flash-bang and the wooden shaft of the arrow that had pegged him to a tree. Derek had saved him, but he could have prevented the attack. Of so Scott liked to think.

Megan stood up and offered Scott her hand. He took it as she pulled him to his feet.

"You're almost too sweet to be a werewolf, Scott. Don't lose that. No matter what happens hold on to who you are." For the first time real warmth filled Megan's face as she smiled and walked towards her motorcycle. Stiles jumped to his feet and followed her and Scott back to the road. As Megan threw on her coat and helmet, Scott grabbed her hand.

"What about you?" he asked.

Megan gave me a sad smile. "The good person I was died when I was thirteen." She untangled his fingers as she turned on the ignition. "Don't worry about me."

The bike roared to life and as Scott stepped back she drove off. Stiles looked sheepishly at Scott. In silence they headed to the jeep and climbed in.

"Why do I think we just opened up another bag of worms with that one?" Stiles asked.

"I know exactly what you mean," Scott said. "Let's go home."

They headed towards the Jeep. Scott's phone had been charging in the port while they had been talking. Scott checked his phone and saw three missed calls from Allison. It was almost seven o'clock. "Damn it."

"What is it now?" Stiles asked turning on the car.

"I forgot to meet Allison."

"Dude I think this was a hell of a lot more important. Besides Allison will forgive you, she has numerous times already what's one more." Stiles always liked walking the knife's edge with his jibs. Scott glared at him. Stiles hid a smirk and drove home.


	2. Chapter 2

Pack Mate

Chapter Two

Scott sat up all night doing something he should have done months ago. He sat at his desk doing a Google search on werewolves. Stiles was his expert, besides Derek, and as Megan had showed him he had a lot to learn. Ignoring what he was and what is newly acquired instincts seemed to drive him to do, was not working any more. Google dug up so much and most of it was crap or movie references, Scott wondered how the hell Stiles had been able to sift through it all. Most of what there was on werewolves came from Wikipedia. Scott exhausted every link and switched to researching wolves as the sun peeked over the horizon and into his room. There was a knock on the door.

"Just a minute," but before Scott could get up his mother opened the door. He barely had time to click on the Wikipedia home page hiding his research.

"My god Scott, were you up all night?"

Scott rubbed his eyes. "Yeah."

His mom gave him a hug. "Scott, I know I have been giving you a hard time about your grades but staying up all night is not the answer."

"I just wanted to get a head start on my research." His mother gave him a look. "What?"

"You weren't downloading porn, were you?" His mother's tone has such a wonderful flat judgmental ring to it.

"Do you download porn?" he said turning the question back on her. "Seriously, mom. Look here is the assignment." Scott showed her the web browser which thankfully had all the research links for Wikipedia and the science sites for all the wolf research so at least it looked official. His mom checked the computer screen, satisfied.

"I'm sorry Scott," his mother said hanging her head. "You just seem to be dealing with a lot. And I worry about you. I don't want to see you jeopardize your health trying to do too much."

"I'm healthy as a horse," _Or a wolf._ Scott added silently. Could werewolves even get sick? A better immune systems and super quick healing seemed to be confirmed by most of the websites Scott had read up on.

"Well then, hop in the shower and I will make you breakfast, since we both just so happen to be up at the break of dawn."

"Thanks mom." Scott's mom smiled and shook her head but headed down stairs. Scott got ready for school in record time. He hoped to find some of the books that Stiles has checked out before classes started and maybe catch up with Allison before school started. As Scott packed up his backpack, his hand brushed the two vials Megan had given Stiles. Stiles had put them in his bag before dropping Scott off last night. The scent killer he planned to keep on his person, but what to do with the other vial of…what the hell to call it? Perfume? Wolf catnip? Scott shook his head. He did not want to catch even a whiff of that stuff. Too many memories. His heart began to beat faster as his anger surged to the surface. Scott carefully put the vial down before he was caught with the urge to crush the glass container. He entered his bathroom and ignored his own reflection as he started the shower. Just thinking of Megan made him angry. Scott pressed his head against the shower wall letting the hot spray pound on his back. He had every right to be upset. Megan had said so herself. But he was angrier at himself. Scott could escape the guilt that he had betrayed Allison. And with a person he didn't even love, let alone _like_. He wanted to vomit. Megan seemed to be the opposite of everything that he had ever even considered to be attractive in a woman. Now Scott knew that he was tied to her, the same way Derek said he was tied to the alpha. Scott couldn't be responsible for another person, hell he had a hard enough time being responsible for his own actions. He stepped out of the shower, got dressed in record time, and tried to ignore the fact that he still felt dirty and used. Finally Scott looked at himself in the mirror as he brushed his teeth, even a werewolf needed to maintain healthy gums, but in his eyes he only saw guilt and shame staring back at him.

"Scott, you better hurry or you're going to be late!" His mother shouted from downstairs.

Scott pushed aside his worries and bolted out the door. Getting his legs pumping on his bike would help a little. He always seemed to feel better when he was actually moving, doing something. Then he didn't have to think about what was next.

Scott arrived at school in record time, again another huge advantage of being a werewolf. Allison's car wasn't even in the parking lot, but Stiles was there, waiting. Scott locked up his bike as Stiles headed over.

"How's it going?" Stiles asked. "You look like hell man."

"That's what happens when you pull an all-nighter researching werewolves."

"Want some Adderall?" Stiles offered.

"Nah, I don't know how it will affect me."

"Good point," said Stiles, as they headed to the front of campus. "So have you seen Megan?"

"Have you?" Scott shot back. "I just got here."

Stiles pointed across the quad. Megan was there, watching them. She nodded as Scott looked her way. Megan was wearing almost the exact same outfit but without the long leather coat or hoddie. The glasses seemed to be something she no longer need, similar to Scott's inhaler. Just seeing Megan triggered Scott's frustration that kicked off his anger, and for an instant his eyes glowed yellow as he clenched his fists.

"Scott, calm down," Stiles said, putting his hand on Scott's shoulder.

"She makes me so angry," Scott growled under his breath.

"I totally get it man, but you need to keep it together." Stiles looked at Scott then back at Megan. "I can go talk to her if you want."

Scott let out a deep sigh as his anger melted back into his chest, leaving him feeling a bit deflated. This girl werewolf was now his responsibility. He had to talk to Megan, make sure she was ok and more importantly, make sure she didn't hurt anyone. Scott still had no idea what he was going to tell Derek. Scott turned and headed over towards Megan, with Stiles on his heels. Megan didn't run this time. In fact her whole stance had changed. Before in the stairwell she had been cowering, now she stood to her full height, shoulders back, and making eye contact with those who were staring at her, even in the forest she hadn't looked this confident. Megan reminded Scott of Derek. Megan looked so damn patient. Scott took a deep breath through his mouth so he wouldn't become overwhelmed by her scent.

"Hello Scott," Megan said as he stopped in front of her. "Stiles."

Now that was odd. Scott watched Megan as her whole face lit up when she looked at Stiles. With him Megan seemed cool and collected but Stiles? Megan seemed to be reacting to him and Stiles, of course, was clueless. Megan batted her eyes and smiled at Stiles. Scott pushed his observations aside.

"How are you doing?" Scott asked.

"All healed," Megan announced. "I feel absolutely fabulous, like I could take on the world."

"You have to be careful," Scott said. _Man, I sound like Derek._ "Your emotions are going to mess with you and you have to keep control."

"Relax Scott," Megan said pushing past him, heading towards the school. "I have over two weeks before the next full moon. Let me enjoy this."

Scott got in front of her. "This is not a joke. You need to listen to me."

"What? I already know that anger or extreme emotions can ignite the shift and pain can stop it. Do you have any other words of wisdom for me?" Megan asked. Her words were clipped and there was more than a hint of annoyance. "You forget, Scott, I watched your first weeks after you got the bite. I watched you change from so guy who rides the bench on the lacrosse team to one of its star players with your hot waif girlfriend and how you were able to break in to the popular crowd. So let me enjoy this." "You have no idea what you are talking about," Scott snarled. His eyes burned with golden fire. It took everything inside him not dig his claws into her arm. She is so infuriating! Stiles seemed to take a step back but Megan didn't. Her eyes went cold. For Scott it was like watching a light go out. The mask of a happy teenager melted away, and what replaced it was a look that sent a child down his spine. Even Stiles took a step back swallowing in fear.

"What is it with you guys? Does ever werewolf come with a serial killer look?" Stiles asked.

Scott stared at Megan. He flashed back to the night that Stiles had handcuffed him to a radiator, for all the good that did. The alpha had been messing with him and Scott had done numerous things he regretted and almost ended his relationship with Allison. Finally he understood what Stiles had meant that night, Megan was terrifying, even though she was just standing there.

"You should practice what you preach, Scott," Megan said staring him down. "Besides, you wouldn't want the love of your life to see you like this."

Dread washed through Scott, killing the anger and stopping his rage. The desire to shift was pulled back and Scott forced himself to unclench his hands. Scott looked behind him where Megan had indicated and saw Allison watching them. Megan took this moment to slip away leaving Scott and Stiles standing there as the first bell rang.

Allison had been watching the exchange between Scott and that strange girl that Lydia had pointed out to her as Allison climbed out of her car. Lydia said she had seen Scott talking to that girl after school when Scott should have been meeting Stiles and his dad. Then Scott had stood Allison up again for coffee. Allison was getting tired of being patient and waiting for him to make up his mind. Allison studied the girl. _What does she want from Scott_? This girl wasn't attractive at all. Lydia had made her share of biting comments about the girl's dirty clothes, terrible fashion sense and mocked that the girl couldn't keep her clothes clean. Scott met Allison at the door holding it open.

"What happened to you last night?" Allison asked.

Scott had totally forgotten. "My mom grounded me. She took my phone or I would have called. Let's just say she really wanted me to start hitting the books."

Scott did look tired. "My dad is still pissed at me and of course you," Allison teased.

"I kind of figured that." Scott shrugged, he knew that. Allison's dad would hate him more when he learned that his daughter was dating a werewolf. Their whole relationship was so damn risky, that Scott didn't even try to lie to himself. If Megan could figure him out so god damn easily, it was only a matter of time before Allison's father learned the truth and by default Allison as well. Allison stood there looking into his eyes. Scott's rational mind knew he should break if off and keep her as far away from him as possible, but even just thinking about that was like a knife driving into his chest threatening to tear out his heart. Allison saw the pain flash behind Scotts brown eyes and all anger she had vanished.

"I don't care what my dad, thinks." Then she kissed him. Scott melted into her kiss as the bell rang for class. Allison broke away. "See you at lunch."

For the first time in weeks Scott was able to keep focused in class. He poured into his studies using that for his focus to avoid thinking about Megan, or Allison or anything having to do with werewolves. Classes rushed by as the bell rang for lunch. Scott headed for the cafeteria. Megan was there outside the doors waiting for him.

"What are you doing here?" Scott asked.

"I wanted to apologize," Megan said.

Scott's eyes narrowed his words bitter, "You do that a lot, but it changes nothing."

"Forget it," Megan said and tried to push by but Scott stopped her.

"No, wait." Scott said. Megan stopped and looked at him.

"I know you just want to help, but we need to find a way to get along at school. I'm tired of hiding."

"What does that even mean?" Scott asked.

"I'm not sure yet. I don't want to fight you, Scott," Megan said leaning against the wall crossing her arms.

"What do you want from me?" Scott asked.

"I want you to stop acting like I am going to jump you or attack someone. I'm not. I'm too methodical for that." Megan ran her fingers through her hair.

For some reason Scott felt offended. "What does that mean?"

Megan gave Scott a smile that reminded him of Lydia, when she was looking at Scott as if he was a drooling social reject. "You're not my type Scott. You gave me the help I needed, now I just want you to relax around me. Do you think you can do that?"

Scott studied Megan. Was this another trap? "I think I can do that," he said slowly

Stiles popped his head around the corner. "Everything ok with you two?"

"Fine," Megan and Scott said in unison.

"Ok," Stiles said, eyes shifting between Megan and Scott. The tension between the two of them was thick in the air and the last thing Stiles needed to deal with was two pissed off werewolves on campus.

Megan decided it was a good idea to leave. "Bye, Scott. Stiles."

Megan walked into the cafeteria leaving Stiles and Scott behind. The guys immediately started talking.

"What the hell happened with you two?" Stiles asked. "I swear every time I have found you together you look like you are going to rip out each other's throats."

Scott glared at him. "You act like this is all my fault. Megan planned this and dragged me into her mess. She brought this on herself!"

Stiles sighed. "I know, but it seems like she is trying to make peace. You got to keep it together, Scott."

"You think I don't know that?" Scott hated that Stiles was just repeating the same thoughts that had been filling Scott's head all morning. It wasn't that Stiles was not only right but that Scott had no idea what to do next or how to get past his feelings regarding Megan.

Allison had been watching the confrontation with that strange girl, Scott and Stiles through the window. Allison couldn't hear what they said but she could almost taste the tension between Scott and this new girl. _What the hell is going on? _This little mystery made her skin itch for answers and Allison saw her chance. The girl made her way to the lunch line. Allison dumped her bag and got into line behind her. Scott and Stiles were still arguing.

"Hey, are you new here?" Allison asked. She smiled and hoped the girl would welcome a new friend.

"Why are you talking to me?" the girl shot back.

"I was the new girl at the school a couple months ago, I just thought you might need a friend. I know what is like to be new to a school."

The girl stopped, her body beginning to shake. She was laughing! Allison could not believe it. The girl seemed to get control of herself and turned to look at Allison. "Look I know you mean well, but I have been here for years longer than you. I don't need your pity, ok. Just go back to the pretty people you like hanging out with."

Allison stood there mute. No one had ever spoken to her like that before. The girl walked away leaving Allison in the cafeteria. With a grace that Allison had only seen from Scott on the lacrosse field, the girl ducked through the crowd and headed away from the noisy student body. Allison glanced back at Lydia and Scott who were at the table waiting. Scott was arguing with Jackson and Lydia seemed to nodding for Allison to follow the girl. Without a second thought Allison ran after her.

At first Allison thought she had lost the girl. But there out of the corner of her eye Allison saw the flick of a skirt as the girl disappeared around the corner. Allison bolted, running fast but as she turned the corner and looked around the parking lot was empty of people. There was the sound of a boot scraping behind her and Allison turned almost jumping out of her skin and the girl stood there arms crossed looking at her.

"Why are you following me, Allison?" she asked.

Allison swallowed. "I'm sorry I just wanted to talk to you."

"Why? We have nothing in common." The girl pushed past Allison again.

"We have Scott in common. How do you know him?" Allison asked. The girl stopped and took a deep breath before turning to face Allison.

"Megan," the girl said.

"Huh?"

"My name is Megan, and I only sort of know Scott and Stiles. We met a few days ago. They are sort of trying to help me with something." Megan leaned against the wall and seemed to be sizing up Allison. She hoped the vague but straightforward answer might be enough for Allison's curiosity, but of course it wasn't.

"With what?" Allison asked. For the first time Allison got a good look at Megan. Lydia was right her clothes did seem dirty but they really weren't, they had just been repaired numerous times. Allison had to wonder if the girl only had one set of clothes. The fact that Megan seemed to be wearing everything she owned and covered up every part of her body but her face and fingers, seemed odd. Megan slowly began to pull up her sleeve. Allison watched as she rotated her arm revealing the burns and scars.

Allison's eyes went wide, "My god what happened?"

"My mom…"

"She did that to you?" Allison looked appalled.

"Sometimes, mostly it was her druggie boyfriends." Megan pulled her sleeve down quickly. "Most kids think I did it to myself. "

"Jesus. What are the boys doing to help you?" Allison asked. She couldn't picture Scott or Stiles hurting anyone or doing anything that could help, but whoever had done those things to Megan they deserved to be punished. Allison remembered that Stiles' dad was the sheriff. Making the connection seemed to release some of the tension in her chest. The sheriff could do so much more for Megan, like press charges against Megan's mother and the people who had hurt her. Allison scolded herself for being jealous earlier, not that Lydia had helped set her mind at ease. Scott had probably been pulled into this girl's drama by Stiles.

"I am working on becoming emancipated from my mom. Stiles is helping, his dad has connections I need, and thanks to him so is Scott trying to keep me from going home where I might get hurt again. He hates that I have to stay there, it makes him angry. "

Allison's stomach seemed to unclench. Silently she cursed herself for being the jealous sort.. Obviously Megan had been through something that Allison could not even begin to imagine. Then she had an idea. "Why don't you come over to my house for dinner?"

Megan looked up at her startled. "I don't' want to impose…"

"Look, I want to do this." Allison's mind was churning. Scott had the right idea, but Allison could see why staying at his house or Stiles' place would be a problem for both boys and their parents, especially if they were trying to keep the situation on the down low.

Megan's face darkened as she pushed to her feet. "I don't want you to feel sorry for me."

Allison grabbed her arm. "Think of it as an apology. I kinda thought you were after Scott."

Megan laughed. She forced herself to ignore the bitter irony and slide on her good girl mask. Allison bought it and relaxed as well.

Allison smiled and rolled her eyes. "I know pretty lame of me. But seriously I want you to come over we can do a girls night and hang out. I want to get to know you."

Megan bit her lip, this was a bad idea, but she nodded. "Ok."

"Great! Meet me here after school, we can take my car."

"Ok. But you better get back to your boy, I am sure he is worried about you."

"See you tonight," Allison said and she shared a smiled with Megan. Waving Allison headed back to the cafeteria. Megan watched her go. Allison was nice but she was a hunter's daughter. Megan knew she needed to learn more about them and that Scott was going to hate this meeting. But Megan needed to know if Allison was a danger to her and to Scott. Megan knew that he may hate her but she felt this huge desire to watch his back whether he liked it or not.

As Allison walked in the door, Scott was there waiting. He smiled as she came closer, but then his expression changed. He could smell Megan's scent on her. What was that stupide girl up to now?

"Are you ok?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, I just met a mutual friend of yours. Megan and I are going to hang out."

Scott froze.

"What?" Allison asked.

"Nothing," Scott said his voice sounding harsh.

Allison frowned. "Scott she told me how she was getting help from you and Stiles. I want to help too. I think she's homeless." Scott seemed to be fighting for breath. Allison touched his face as he looked away. "She showed me her arm," Allison whispered. "It makes me angry too."

Scott grabbed her in a hug and held on. "I don't want you involved with this," he whispered back.

"I'm a big girl. Trust me." Allison hugged him back as the bell rang for class. Scott walked her to class but already Allison's mind was spinning. Megan seemed to have a plan. Still there had to be something Allison could do to make the girl's life better. Allison didn't even question where her desire to help was coming from but it felt good, and clean_. This is something I have to do_. Just yesterday Allison's mom was talking about getting rid of some of her old clothing, maybe Megan could set aside her pride to get a new outfit. As much as Lydia might hate it, Allison was already plotting to help Megan come out from the shadows and finally understand what a friend truly was. Clothes were a great place to start.

True to her word Megan met Allison by her car. Megan had a stack of books clutched in her arms and a motorcycle helmet in her hand. Allison smiled at her.

"You ride?" Allison asked.

"Yup, I fixed up Ladybug myself." Megan gestured to the red and black motorcycle on the other side of the parking lot. It looked pretty beat up and the red and black pieces seemed to have come from various bikes. It was a rag tag as Megan's outfit.

"Wow," Allison said, giving the girl even more respect that before.

"Look I feel weird leaving my bike here, can you take my books and I will follow you to your house?"

"Sure!" Allison said and Megan dumped the books in her front seat before plopping her helmet over her head. Allison watched as Megan walked over to her bike. Before Allison ducked into her car she saw Scott standing there watching. Scott reminded Allison of her father as he watched her and then his gaze moved to Megan. Allison saw him frown, which only confused her more. Megan didn't seem to notice Scott's gaze as the motorcycle roared to life. Allison watched her pull up behind her and when she looked back to see Scott, he was gone. Allison got in her car and led the way for Megan.

Megan followed Allison to her house. Parking the bike near the front, Megan pulled off her helmet. Allison was right behind her and opened the door. Megan could hardly stand it she was so excited and curious; this was the hunters' home. Already she could smell the gun oil and gunpowder behind the lovely upper middle class façade.

"My room is upstairs. I got your books lets go," Allison said.

Megan smiled. Allison really was sweet; no wonder she was perfect for Scott. As Allison lead the way up the stairs, Megan couldn't help but feel a little guilty. When she entered the room, it was surprising how little Allison had unpacked. The scent of Scott was everywhere in the room and Megan had to smile.

"So what do you want to know?" Megan asked sitting on the bed. "My tragic life's tale?"

"Why would you say that?" Allison asked placing the books and her backpack on the ground. Megan gave her a look as she crocked her head. "Fine. What happened to you?"

"Bad people doing bad things," Megan said. There was something about this little pixie girl, she reminded Megan of Scott. Both of them were so damn innocent and good hearted. It was almost too easy to play on their good intentions. Megan cursed herself silently. She was just like her mother, looking for every angle to help her agenda. Allison was trying to be nice. "Seriously?"

Allison nodded and sat down next to Megan. "Have you ever told anyone?"

"Besides Scott and Stiles?" Megan looked away.

"Why them?" Allison pushed, of all the people in school or the community to tell, why had Megan chosen two teenage boys that she did not know?

"I needed to know about Stile's dad. I had to know if he was a good man." Megan met Allison's questioning gaze. Those last words were filled with a world of meaning behind them.

Allison now looked confused. "Why would you question that?"

Megan sighed. "The last cop I asked for help only made things worse. Sometimes it's easier to talk to someone your own age before leaping head first into the unknown." Detective Marks, had been so kind to her when Megan had been only twelve and the first of the CPS calls had been made, before she had learned to hide everything in her face and on her person from prying eyes. Marks was an older man, with years of experience and as it turned out years of debt. Megan's uncle had taken this sweet old man and turned him into an accomplice, leaving Megan to the horrors she continued to live with to this day. Marks hadn't laid a hand on her but his turning the blind eye had made all the scars and horrors remain on her skin like a road map of the hell she had lived through.

"I won't tell anyone, but I want to help. No one deserves to be hurt like that." Allison meant every word. As angry as Allison's father had been in the past, she had never seen him raise a hand to her mother or aunt. The idea that that any parent would lay a hand on their child, sickened Allison, oh her dad could rage but he never hurt anyone.

"I will get the adults involved when I am sure of my plan," Megan said opening her binder and pulling out a planner.

"Is that your plan?"

"No, silly it is a planner but it has part of my plan in it." Megan showed Allison the dates circled. "I have been filling paperwork to become an emancipated minor on my 17th birthday which is in less than 3 weeks."

"What will that let you do?" Allison had heard of emancipation for teenagers but only on TV dramas. She had never heard of anyone actually doing it, despite the normal teenage angst with parents.

"I will be my own guardian, and I will have access to all my accounts." Just telling someone about her plan to escape her life felt both good and terrifying at the same time since Megan had never trusted anyone with even this little bit of information before. Megan's plan had been the secret she had nurtured and held to herself for so long, and yet she knew that now that people realized the abuse she was living with and suffered through at home, that these good people would try to do something. Scott, Stiles and Allison were all proving to be good people, and maybe for the first time in her life, Megan could have friends. Hope filled her as Megan realized that there were people in this world who were not in her uncle's pocket.

"And that means what?" Allison asked.

"I guess you never had to consider this, according to the law, I can become my own guardian, especially if I have income or graduate early. In my case I have both, but that only happens if I become an emancipated minor. This situation is like a catch-22."

"Really?"

Megan could understand Allison's skepticism. Living in rages and using every last cent to pay for her lawyer, bike, daily necessities like tampons, and securities like extra dead bolts and a security door did not come cheap. The money Megan made online and doing odd jobs had barely been able to cover things. Megan had tried to steal from her mother once and paid the price. Her uncle had given her a taste of what one of the unethical mental institutions could be like for someone who the world wanted to forget. That lesson had taught Megan she could not trust most 'health care' workers.

"I have been working and taking extra classes since middle school so I could graduate when I turned 17, so even if I can't access my accounts I can get a job and take care of myself, though I don't want to graduate early." Allison could understand not wanting to leave a school because of her friends, since she had been forced to on several occasions with her father's job. But Megan didn't seem to have any friends besides Scott and Stiles and they were new. Why would Megan wanted to stay in high school? Allison felt it would be rude to ask her directly.

"What are these accounts?" Allison asked pulling out several sheets that Megan had pointed to. They looked like bank accounts and if the numbers were right it looked like Megan had close to half a million dollars in the bank, maybe more.

"I hate that money," Megan growled. Blood money, over 10 million in those accounts but it was doctored to look like less, thanks to her uncle's clever book keeping. The account had been set up by Megan's late father, and once her uncle had Megan's mother sign over control of the trust, he had been using it to launder money ever since. The account was supposed to take care of Megan and pay for college but unless her lawyer could get one hell of an forensic accountant, Megan worried she would barely have enough to live on let alone go to college.

"Ok, so you still haven't told me much." Allison put the papers back and handed Megan her planner.

"Sorry, too many years of hiding." Megan sighed and bit her lip. "Ok, here's my sob story. When I was nine years old, my father died. He had money, a ton of money. When he died my mom lost it. She turned to drugs to escape and around the time I was ten my world started to fall apart. My dad had left most of the money for me in a trust fund that I could not touch until I turn twenty-one. My mom still got money to take care of me, and most of that ended up her nose. I learned quickly how to take care of myself, and of her. "

Allison sat back and listened. Megan had started looking at her hands playing with her sleeves. Not once did she look in Allison's direction. Megan seemed to be telling the story as if it had happened to someone else, no sign of emotion in her words, no pain or sadness just the facts.

"My uncle, my mom's brother came into the picture, and he is not a nice man. My uncle took over the money, but nothing changed in my life, except now to get her drugs my mother brought home a parade of losers. By the time I was eleven I had lost my virginity and gained the first of many scars that would follow."

"And no one ever tried to help you? Not even your uncle?"

Megan shrugged. "He locked up one of my abusers, the worst one, but that did not stop my mom. Not all the cops can be trusted. My uncle is a powerful man, the last cop I told, informed my uncle and they threatened to have me committed. I learned the value of silence then and the power of the internet. I started working on my plan, and if everything works out, I can get my freedom, my money, and my mom into a treatment center."

Allison looked at her. Megan raised her head looked over at Allison. Megan pulled up her knees to her chest and laid her head on her knees. How had a girl her age been able to deal with all of this? Allison could not even picture her life on her own. Sure college was just a few years away but to be on your own so young and so…Allison could not even put her feelings in words. The need to help Megan and know more filled Allison with a surge of curiosity and duty to render her friend aid, but she was smart enough not to push Megan for details, they would come in time. Allison had decided that she was going to be Megan's friend no matter what trials she was going to be going through.

"What do you think?" Megan asked, knowing the details had been vague on purpose. Megan wanted to see how Allison would react to just the broad horror of her life before getting into the nightmare details of Megan's daily life.

"I'm not sure what to say. That is horrible…"

"And you don't think a sixteen year old could plan something like this?" Megan asked quirking an eyebrow.

"It's not that, I just can't believe that you could spend what five years living like that and not be."

"Broken? Crazy?" Megan shrugged and ran her fingers through her hair." Maybe I am."

Allison scrunched up her nose. "I doubt that. You seem pretty rational to me."

"Oh, I have my bad days." Megan tossed her hair back. "Ya know, it feels so weird telling someone like this. "

"What is your home life like right now? I mean is it safe for you to go home?" Allison asked. She had a spare bedroom, even though her aunt was using it maybe she could find another place and Allison's parents would let Megan move in… Allison pushed the thought back to save for later. She had just met Megan, and it was not a good idea to rush into things, but Allison wanted to make sure that Megan was safe, and Allison wondered if Scott or Stiles had felt the same way.

"Look can we talk about something else?" Megan asked. The need to help was written all over Allison's face and Megan wondered if Allison saved that same expression for little lost puppies. Megan was no puppy, she was a wolf.

"Sure." Allison sat back pushing back all her thoughts of crazy do-gooder schemes to help Megan.

"How long have you been with Scott?" Megan watched Allison's face light up. Allison got a twinkle in her eye as she lay back on the bed.

"About two months. He's great." Allison could not mention the rough spots, when she had broken Scott's heart and her own. They had been able to overcome those problems and no doubt there would be more problems in the future, but for now, she was happy.

"And totally devoted to you, I should point out," Megan said.

"Why do you say that?" Allison asked happy to hear it all the same.

"Please, the boy is totally twitterpainted." _You have no idea_, Megan thought. If Megan's suspicions were correct, Scott had created a mate bond with Allison, which went well beyond devotion or simple puppy love. This bond was not as extreme as one book had called it, imprinting, but wolves in the wild mate for life and it was a strong bond.

Allison laughed. "I haven't heard that since I watched Bambi as a kid."

"It was the only Disney movie I've seen," Megan said.

"Bummer, I always liked Mulan, we should watch it sometime," Allison said. "But seriously, you think he really is serious about us."

"Like a heart attack." Megan meant it, she could almost think it cute how both Allison and Scott questioned their match. These two were made for each other, and any fool could see that. Allison shifted in her seat, clearly anxious. Megan almost felt jealous, not of Allison or Scott but of their innocence and the joy they obviously were feeling with this experience of first love. Megan knew she would never have that and it made her a little sad. Her emotions got the better of her as she let her next comment slip out. "Girl that boy is so pissed I am even talking to you."

Allison's expression drooped. "What do you mean?"

"Haven't you heard? I'm bad news and a loser, or so Lydia likes to inform everyone."

_Ouch_. Megan had hit a little close to home with that comment. She was not totally unaware of the student body and how harsh their teen peers could be. Allison wondered if Megan had overheard her conversation with Lydia, but then why would Megan come here?

"You can't help what happened to you," Allison offered.

Megan could see what her bitterness did to change to conversation. Her mask was slipping. It had been a long time since Megan had lacked control of her emotions. Megan scoffed, then took a deep breath and let it out. "I've never had any friends before, sorry I know you are trying, but I should go." She got to her feet.

"No, stay. I promise I won't push. "There was a knock at the door. Allison's father walked in the room. "Hey dad. Oh, this is Megan from school."

"Hello, are you girls studying?" he asked.

"Just about to start. What is going on?" Allison's father could be a little over protective and being a gun salesman was a little too guns and ammo for most girls Allison had known, but she loved him. Not that her escapades had made his worries all that unfounded.

"I'm going to be gone for a couple days on a business trip. I just wanted to let you know I will be leaving tomorrow probably before you wake up for school."

"Early flight?" Allison asked.

"Yup. Hey Megan, why don't you stay for dinner? We're having tri-tip." Argent gave the girl, not an unfriendly look but he was examining her. Megan was utterly different than the other girl that Allison had hung out. Even thinking about Lydia, Argent was debating about having that girl over to ask her a few pointed questions. Ever since Allison had become her friend and gotten involved with that boy Scott, she had been turning into a different person and he didn't like it one little bit. Maybe this new girl would be an improvement but from the looks of her, Argent doubted it.

"Sounds great Mr. Argent." Megan continued to watch him, memorizing his scent. He was a hunter and she could feel his eyes on her sizing her up as she sized him up. Her mask held as she remained looking like a harmless teen girl.

"You girls have fun." Argent closed the door and left.

Allison looked over at Megan and smiled. "Your dad is nice," Megan said.

"Yeah. So do you have any guys you like?" Allison asked. Megan seemed to tense up. "You don't have to answer…"

"No, I'm sorry. I just never had anyone ask me that before." Megan bit her lower lip. She had taken the bite from Scott but he was too vanilla for her tastes. She had always liked one boy since the seventh grade but he had never noticed her and she had never told anyone. But the point of getting the bite was to make her stronger so she could take more risks, more chances, to make her life better. "But you could say I like someone…"

Allison jumped on the bed next to her. "Who?"

"Stiles," Megan said biting her lip.

"Really? That's great. He so needs a girlfriend." Megan seemed to react and her body language changes as Megan hugged herself and looked away.

"Well, I'm not really girlfriend material."

Allison realized what she had said and tried to "Don't say that, all you need is a little sprucing up," Allison said touching Megan's hair. "You're actually really pretty."

Megan swallowed. It was now or never. "You think you could help me."

Allison brightened. "Of course."

"I don't have any money, right now," Megan explained. "Most of the clothes I have I was given to me."

"I can tell you take good care of them," Allison said touching the skirt.

"I will need to make sure I can cover my scars."

Allison nodded. "If you don't mind, my mom has some old clothes, you two are about the same size, I sure we can find you something nice."

Allison was really trying to help. Megan could see that and she never had a girl friend before to talk to. Megan's mother had been a model and knew the tricks of the trade, but heaven forbid she ever take an interest in her daughter or teach her anything about being pretty. During several drug induced fits her mother had more often than not tried to tear Megan down and make her daughter feel like an ugly duckling. Megan found that being as unattractive as possible had always been a good defense mechanism to avoid attention from her mother or worse her mother's male friends.

"I'm sorry I was so suspicious earlier. It's really nice what you're doing for me. I've had a hard time trusting people."

"I bet." Allison smiled at her and Megan gave her a shy smile back.

"You know I've had to sneak into the locker room to shower since I started high school?"

Allison was shocked but no longer surprised. "That sucks. Here why don't you shower and I will go grab the clothes. Then I will show you how to do your hair and make-up. Sound good?"

"Sure." Megan stood and followed Allison into a very clean, girly bathroom. Makeup, bodyworks products and expensive hair products were clearly visible. The smell of perfume was almost overwhelming. For the first time Megan felt the adverse reaction to having heightened senses. Allison was digging out several towels, a terrycloth robe and some slippers. She dumped everything on top of the toilet and left Megan to shower.

While Megan was in the shower, Allison went down stairs and to find her mother and ask for the clothing.

"Mom, do you still have your old clothes?" Allison asked.

"Sure, honey. Why?"

"I know you were going to give them to Good Will but my friend Megan could use them. She is staying for dinner."

Mrs. Argent looked at Allison. "Is it that girl your father told me about? He said she seemed odd."

"She's kinda been homeless on and off again."

Mrs. Argent looked exasperated. "Allison…"

"Mom, I really want to help her. Things are finally turning around for her. Can you believe that she is one of the top students in my grade and she is almost the same age as I am?"

Talk of someone with good grades always won her mother other, despite the background. Allison knew her dad to be the harsher critic than her mother ever was or would be.

"The clothes are in the garage. Don't forget to tell your aunt Kate about dinner," Mrs. Argent added.

Megan closed her eyes. Allison was true to her word. Megan had heard every word of the little discourse downstairs. Megan was left to wonder who Kate was. It had to be another hunter? Megan shut off the water and climbed out of the shower. Wearing Allison's fragrances seemed almost disorienting. Megan missed her own scent and could barely smell it under all the bath products but that was a good thing. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, Megan had to admit the change was doing many good things for her body. Her complexion had cleared up. All the fresh cuts, bruises, and scabs had healed completely. Even some of her scars seemed fainter. Running her hand down her left arm, the skin felt soft. Megan face darkened as a thought flashed in her mind. Werewolves could heal almost any injury that wasn't from silver, but what about old wounds? Would they heal? It was almost too much to hope for. Standing there naked, the cuts on her breasts were almost as back as the burns on her back. The words WHORE, SLUT, and BITCH stood out in stark contrast where he had cut her over three years ago. Megan's plan was to get plastic surgery after she could afford it but was that even an option now?

The door opened and a woman almost as tall as Megan walked into the room. Megan's eyes went wide in the mirror as Allison's aunt realized what she had done. Kate stood there and stared at the scars and it was all that Megan could do to keep the fear out of her face and tap the wolf down inside. Her hands reached up to cover her chest as a reflex, but that only brought the scars on her arms into better view. The skin on her arms was a stark contrast to the unmarred flesh of Megan's neck which was clear of any permanent marks.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry." Kate said and turned as Megan grabbed another towel to cover up more. "Are you ok?"

"Allison said I could have a shower," Megan mumbled, her heart was racing. _Stupid_. There hadn't been a lock on the door. Megan had felt safe here and avoided her normal pattern of blockading the door behind her. This was the price of her carelessness. What if this woman had known what she was? The hunter had moved so quietly, Megan had to wonder why her new hearing had failed her. The fact that anyone had caught her by surprise filled Megan with dread.

"Right," Kate stepped outside. "Sorry, I thought Allison was in here. I am her aunt Kate. I will wait for you to get dressed."

"I'm staying for dinner," Megan informed her.

"Ah, good. Then I will see you then." Kate practically fled from the bathroom, securing the door behind her. Kate shook her head. She had seen some terrible stuff during her hunting days. Many of her fellow hunters had numerous scars from their battles over the years, but that girl. She had more than several of the men combined. Most looked like burns or cuts from a blade but Kate couldn't be sure. Had she been mauled by a werewolf? Could she be a werewolf? Most of the wolves would have healed from such wounds, right? Still that dog Derek had a tattoo, shouldn't that have healed as well? There were too many questions and Kate was determined to keep an eye on this girl. The moment had been brief but Kate swore that the words that had been carved into that girl's chest. Kate had to wonder if Megan had done that to herself. Allison met Kate on the stairs. Allison had a bag of clothes under her arm.

"Do you have a friend over?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, why?" Allison asked.

Kate gave her a sideways look . "I kinda walked in on her in the shower…Is she ok?"

Allison figured Kate had seen the same scars on Megan's arms that she had at school, most likely there were more scars that Allison had yet to see. "She has had a hard life."

"I figured that from the scars, explain." Kate's gaze could be just as intense as Allison's father.

"Her mom had an abusive boyfriend who went to jail for doing that stuff to her. I am trying to help her out," Allison said defensively. Why was her whole family so damn suspicious?

"We will talk later," Kate said and walked down the stairs and Allison hurried back to Megan.

"Sorry about my aunt," Allison said coming into her bedroom. Megan was there sitting on the bed wrapped in towels.

"It's my fault," Megan mumbled. She was still trying to get her heartbeat under control.

Allison frowned. "No, it's not. My dad refused to allow me to put a lock on my door or even the bathroom door."

Megan shrugged trying to convince herself. "No big deal."

"It is," Allison said and walked over to Megan. Megan had her hair up in one towel, two more were wrapped around her body and a fourth hung around her shoulder like a cape. Still as Allison came around she saw what Kate had. There were even paler white than Megan's normal porcelain skin tone. Megan refused to meet Allison's eyes as her new friend took in the latest horror story written on Megan's skin. After Kate had left, Megan had put her underwear and bra back on. The bra was battered and once had been strapless but with a little creative talent Megan had made it into something comfortable, just one more piece of recycled clothing that she owned. Allison began to dig through the bag of clothing her mother had given her and Megan stripped off some of her towels.

When Allison turned back to face Megan, she got an eye full. The scars on Megan's arms and chest were not the worst of the damage and it made Allison feel a little sick as she could not turn away or stop staring at the damage. Cross hatched lines covered Megan's stomach, while her thighs had zigzag lines forming a macabre pattern on her skin. This appeared to be some horrible artwork that was not uniform in design because obviously Megan had struggled.

"Don't worry, they don't hurt anymore," Megan said reading the horror in Allison's face.

"Why would someone do this to you?" Allison had to ask.

"Because they could." Megan felt as if a cloud descended on her. She refused to think of herself as a victim. "By allowing that monster to cut me, I saved my mother and myself worse pain and humiliation."

"And your mother let you?" Allison knew her parents would have done anything to keep her safe, even kill, knowing her father. But to watch someone you love be tortured just to save yourself…how could a mother do that to their child?

"At the time, I was led to believe that I didn't have a choice, but a person can only tolerate so much pain." Megan began to trace the scar that started the pattern and had roamed up over her pelvic bone. "When you fight or resist in any way that was just another excuse to hurt you more."

Megan's eyes went dark as she remembered how it felt to be so powerless and alone, how even as she took the abuse it never seemed to be enough to satisfy that man's need to inflict pain. Even when she figured out how to block the pain and almost leave her body, it hadn't been enough to truly escape.

"I hope whoever did that is dead," Allison voice was filled with outrage and anger. It almost made Megan smile.

"He's rotting in jail with three consecutive life sentences for murder, drug running, and a myriad of other crimes."

_Murderer_. Allison realized that Megan was lucky to be alive. "Good," Allison said and turned back to the clothes. She needed to do something to distract herself. This help was so little and almost too late to do any good. But she had to try.

With a little finagling Allison had been able to find clothing that fit Megan. The tight fitting long sleeve turtle neck was blue and looked good under a trendy green t-shirt making the layered look no longer bulky and showed off Megan's curves. The scars actually stopped about two inches above her wrists, so the sleeves covered them perfectly. The brand name jeans were snug but nicely form fitting as well and with the boot cut flared out. Luckily Allison and Megan had the same shoe size and Allison talked Megan into wearing a cute pair of high heel boots. Now Megan towered over Allison, but she looked like a normal teenager. Allison set to work on Megan's hair and makeup. With the hour, the tangles and brown mess, hung in straight layered levels after a few inches had been removed. The amazing thing was what Allison did with Megan's make up. Megan's hazel eyes had changed to more green to match the shirt she wore. The makeup only brought that out. Megan came down the stairs to dinner a changed person.

"You look lovely," Allison's mother said.

"I thought you two were supposed to be studying," Argent said.

"We will don't worry dad," Allison said. The Argent family was a lot nicer to Megan than they had been to Scott. Allison was relieved. Megan seemed to have charmed them all. Allison was amazed that as Megan rattled off the assignment and course topic even debating with Allison's father on certain political themes. Kate even seemed to have given her a break. By the time desert was served Megan felt almost like part of the family, which was when things went terribly wrong.

Megan got up to help Allison in collecting the dishes. As she rounded the table to take up Mr. Argent's plate, he brushed across her hand as if to pick up his cup. With a flick of his wrist, he had pulled up Megan's sleeve exposing her scars. She jerked back but he was too quick and grabbed her arm. Instantly the knife that had been sitting on the table was at Argent's throat.

"Let go," Megan growled through clenched jaws.

"Dad what are you doing?" Allison screamed.

Argent let go of Megan and she threw herself back into the wall knife clenched near her chest and pointed at the Argent family. Kate came around the table as Mrs. Argent came out of the kitchen. The fear reaction was took hold of Megan as she began to pant, eyes wide. Fear like from that of her childhood poured through her like a wave.

"Bro, what did you do?" Kate demanded.

"Take it easy," Argent said, hands palm open in surrender facing Megan. Allison was there too.

"Megan, it's ok," Allison pleaded. "He didn't mean anything."

Megan tried to bite back the fear. She felt her emotions swell like a tidal wave and she clamped her eyes tight trying not to hyperventilate. She bit the inside of her cheek tasting blood and forcing herself to drop the knife to the floor with a loud _thunk_ on the wood floor. Megan still had the wall at her back and she pushed into it for support forcing herself not to run.

"I'm so sorry," Megan whispered. She wrapped her hand over her face hiding her emotions with her body and bent over.

"I am sorry I scared you," Argent said, but Megan couldn't focus.

"Let's go upstairs." Allison suggested she had come up next to Megan.

"Please don't touch me," Megan said. Taking a huge deep breath she forced herself to stand up. Looking at the hunters she could not help but notice that Kate had picked up a knife and Argent was treating her like a very dangerous person. Allison stood there trying to capture Megan's eyes in her gaze. Allison looked so concerned and upset. "I need to go." Megan choked out the words but she was keeping it together…barely.

"I will get your stuff and meet you outside," Allison said.

Megan nodded. Allison turned and acted like a human shield between Megan and her family as she walked Megan to the door. Allison's face filled with anger as she looked at her parents. Her mother looked to her father. Argent at least had the decency to look taken aback and worried. Kate looked more wary and shocked. Allison walked Megan to the door. It took every ounce of strength inside of Megan not to bolt out the door. All she wanted to do was run. Allison said something of a sort of apology, but Megan didn't really make out her words, besides "wait here" as Allison disappeared back into the house. Not three minutes later, Allison had returned with Megan's things. All the clothing was stuffed into a backpack along with the books Megan had picked up earlier. By now the fear had moved on and left Megan feeling deflated and drained. She could face Allison with a clear head. Megan took the helmet and put it on her head.

"I am really sorry. I had no idea he would do anything like that," Allison said passing her the backpack.

Megan threw it over her shoulders. Allison stared at her. She was waiting for Megan to say something. Megan clenched her teeth but as she ran her tongue over her cheek it had healed already.

"It's not your fault. Your dad is just being protective," Megan said. "I overreacted."

With her words, Allison seemed to relax a little. "He was being an asshole."

"True."

They stood in silence for a moment.

"Will I see you at school?" Allison asked.

"Count on it." Megan turned the key and the motorcycle roared to life. Allison stepped back and watched as Megan disappeared into the night. She stood on the porch for what seemed like forever before turning back towards her house. Allison clenched her fists. Her parents had been colossal jerks and Kate just as bad. Megan would probably never come over again, and that sent a knot into Allison's stomach. The girl needed friends, not more enemies. Steeling herself, Allison took the stairs two at a time and prepared to open a can of whoop ass on the adults in her household.

21


	3. Chapter 3

Pack Mate

Chapter Three

Allison spent the night tossing and turning. After the knock down drag out fight with her family, Allison was somehow not surprised when she found that not only had her father decided to leave on his trip as planned but that he took her Aunt Kate with him. Her father was so pig headed, and Allison realized that this had been the first time she had ever stood up to him and basically held her ground. As angry as she was, the feeling of independence was exhilarating and nerve wracking at the same time. Her mother had tried to lecture Allison on how her father had only wanted the best for her and that he loved her, but that Allison needed to follow the rules. With a final warning about curfew, Allison had managed to escape the hypocrisy and head to school. The relief was palatable when Allison saw that Scott was waiting for her.

"Hey, you look tired," Scott said giving Allison a kiss. "Is something wrong?"

Allison snuggled into his hug and walked with him into the halls towards her locker. "I had a fight with my parents and I didn't sleep well. "

Scott tucked a loose hair behind Allison's ear. "What did you fight about?"

"How they treat my friends."

Scott's eyebrows shot up. He had always known he wasn't the Argents' favorite person and even less so if Allison's dad ever learned he was a werewolf, but it never occurred to Scott that the Argent family would have issues with Allison other friends.

Allison unwound from Scott to open her locker. "They are just so over protective. It makes me so angry."

"I know they just mean well." Scott watched her waiting for her to explain.

Allison snorted in disgust. Scott watched her face as if there were a million questions he wanted to ask, each one more dangerous than then next if he ever led Allison to look more closely into her family history. Allison suddenly got a smile that spread out across her face filling her eyes with a mischievous joy.

"The good news is that Aunt Kate and my father are both going to be out of town for the next few days, which means," Allison kissed him. "I can spend all my time with you."

Scott smiled. "I'd like that."

Together they headed to class.

_Journal Entry 2401_

_My experiments seem to be working. I had to stock up on protein, the bars are terrible, but I am still unable to fully process raw meat, my body wants it but my transformation is far from complete. Still things have been improving. My skin has cleared up and I am losing weight and gaining muscle tone. I spent hours running last night, and wasn't even tired or sore this morning. Was it like this for Scott? I fear asking him. I've done enough damage, still, for the first time I am looking forward to school and I feel so alive. _

Thus far the day was going pretty well for Scott by the time the lunch bell rang. Allison was going to be able to spend extra time with him and he knew he needed to make that priority, the alpha be damned. Megan was nowhere to be seen and no new drama had presented itself; no bodies, no wolves, no dangers or unexpected news. Allison was hanging on Scott's arm and she felt so good, just to be near her made his heart fill with hope and soothed the anger that always seemed to be in the background of his mind. Jackson and Lydia were at the lunch table, obviously back "on" with their relationship. Scott had watched his fair share of drama between the four of them. Scott still could not help feeling a little uncomfortable with Lydia since they had kissed in the locker room that one time, but Lydia seemed to be ok with pretending it had never happened to protect her friendship with Allison.

Stiles ran up to Scott and Allison. "Oh, my god man have you seen Megan?"

Scott cursed himself for enjoying his reprieve as Murphy's Law took over his life again. Allison looked at Stiles who was out of breath and bent over doubt from running.

"What's wrong?" Scott as a knot formed in his stomach.

Scott turned and looked the direction that Stiles pointed. Allison looked as well. There nestled in a small group of boys, Megan stood laughing and flirting. The lunch table was on the far side of the cafeteria and near the exit. Scott could see why Stiles was shocked. Megan had completely reinvented herself. The clothes, the makeup, even the way she held herself were different. Allison was smiling.

"I think she looks great," Allison waved and Megan waved back. "I would have to say I never thought a makeover would make such a difference."

"You're responsible for that?" Stiles asked, looking a little too interested in Scott's opinion.

"She's actually very pretty," Allison said. "You should go over and talk to her Stiles."

Both Scott and Stiles looked at Allison a little flabbergasted. Allison gave both of them a sly little wicked smile that was full of matchmaking mischief not that either boy could tell. Lydia on the other hand could.

"She seems nice enough in last year's fashion," Lydia said. "Stiles don't you think she looks nice?"

Allison looked at Scott. This was about as nice as Lydia got toward someone she didn't consider on the radar. Not that Lydia cared one lick about Stiles or that girl, but Scott and Allison were another thing, Lydia would do anything to tie the two most popular kids to her and get rid of the rejects was a sure bet in her opinion. Lydia knew that Allison had Scott wrapped around her little finger and if it weren't for his dorky best friend, Scott and Jackson could rule the school. Since Lydia ruled Jackson, and was fairly certain that Allison would go along with most everything she planned, that only left the one loose end to get rid of. Matching up the two rejects, would most likely be the quickest way to do that.

With Lydia directly talking to him, Stiles naturally slipped over his own tongue. "Well yeah, she's hot."

Lydia grabbed his arm. "Then you should go talk to her."

"Totally," Allison added. Scott gave her a sideways look. _What the hell was going on with Lydia, Megan and Allison? _He didn't like it.

"I don't know…" Stiles said watching Megan. She really did seem to be coming out of her shell. Stiles couldn't tell if it was because of the bite or something else, but she did seem to be pretty captivating. Scott on the other hand gave his best friends a slightly pained look.

"Trust me Stiles, she would love it if you went over there," Allison pressed.

"Scott?" Stiles asked.

"What you need his permission?" Lydia snarked. Jackson laughed, he had been trying to ignore the whole conversation.

"No," Stiles said looking at Scott.

"Then shoo, go talk to her," Lydia practically pushed him away.

Defeated Stiles gave Scott one last look and began to walk towards Megan. Scott could only stare, he wasn't ready to sacrifice his new found popularity or the disappointment that Allison would have if he interfered. Scott made a silent prayer that things would work out. Megan seemed to be adapting as he had, but then again…. His first few days had been a bit of a roller coaster with his new senses, maybe she had heard every word.

Stiles stuck his hands in his pocket, dodging other students and trash cans, he made his way across the cafeteria towards Megan. She had several boys watching her and laughing at some joke. Stiles walked up and added his laugh to the crowd.

"Hi, Megan," Stiles said.

Megan turned her attention to him and it was as if her face lit up. "Hey Stiles."

"How's it going?"

"Well, I was just making some new friends, care to join us?" Megan gestured to an open seat.

"Sure," Stiles sat down.

Across the room, Scott forced himself to stop staring at Stiles and Megan. Stiles stood there and smiled at Megan. His hands were in his pockets but it was obvious that he was flirting with her as were several other guys. Stiles seemed oblivious to the glares he was getting from the other guys as all Megan's attention was on Stiles. Megan reached out and pulled Stiles to sit down next to her, shifting a bit closer. Stiles was absolutely clueless as Megan continued to draw all the boys in her new entourage towards her attention. Scott could hear the false complements and small talk she made to all her watchers and these fools were eating it up. Scott ground his teeth and tried to focus. Allison's hand on his shoulder brought his attention back to her and his friends at the table in front of him.

"I thought we would never get rid of him," Lydia said. Scott narrowed his eyes but as always she ignored him.

"Scott, are you ok?" Allison asked.

Scott forced himself to smile. Not that he could ever be angry at her, but…. "I'm fine, sorry just thinking about a test coming up."

"Gonna fail that one too?" Jackson asked.

"Can it Jackson," Allison shot back. "Do you need help studying?"

Scott thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, let's hit the library."

Allison nodded. "See you guys later," she said to Lydia and Jackson.

Meanwhile, Stiles was quite enjoying himself. Megan actually was pretty funny. She had everyone laughing at jokes and talking about the latest school events. It was almost eerie that she knew so much about the goings on throughout the campus. Stiles didn't even notice that Scott had left, though Megan did and that seemed to help her relax even more.

"Stiles any new juicy gossip from the sheriff?" Megan asked.

"That girl in the woods was a freshman and he still won't tell me her name, but they said it was another animal attack," Stiles said. He kind of liked being the center of attention. As his peers debated the attacks and the deaths, he looked passed them at Megan. She met his eyes and smiled, it was fun to share a secret.

"Do you have a police radio?" one of the guys asked.

Stiles nodded. "Dad hates it when I listen in."

"That's because you shouldn't be medaling," another guy said.

"Stiles is just trying to get to the bottom of things," Megan said. "Besides it just seems like things are getting worse."

"I know, my dad has been trying to call in the feds to get some extra help but the request keeps getting denied." Stiles wished the government would do something to help. The body count was rising and there was only so much any small town sheriff could do. Every time Stile's dad went out, Stiles said a small prayer that he wouldn't get hurt or worse…killed by the alpha. If it weren't for the fact that the Argents would kill Scott, Stiles would have gone to them for help long ago. It sucked to be caught between wanting to protect his family and protecting his friend.

Meanwhile, Scott sat in the library pretending to read his textbook. Allison was really trying to help, but all he could do was sneak glances at her. Scott couldn't focus, his mind kept going back to Stiles talking to Megan, and her being surrounded by people. There was no way she was going to keep a low profile, not that he was one to talk. Still, so much attention, _what was she doing? Wasn't she supposed to be hiding?_ Scott could not help but think this was another one of Megan's manipulations. _What the hell is she after? _His jealousy was surging the more he thought about Megan hanging with Stiles, who was supposed to be his friend first. First Stiles, then Allison, it was as if Megan was trying to break into every aspect of his life and Scott could help but hate her for that.

"Hey," Allison whispered, touching Scott's shoulder. "I'm not really helping, am I?"

"Of course you are," Scott stammered.

"No, I am distracting you." Scott made to deny it and she put her finger over his lip. "Don't lie, you have been reading the same paragraph for the last ten minutes."

Scott looked down at his book, and blushed. Allison smiled.

"We just aren't good study buddies," she said as stood up and leaned over to whisper in his ear. "Not that I could focus if you were watching me, all I could think about would be touching you." She pulled back. "I'm gonna catch up with Lydia and I will see you after class."

Without giving Scott a chance to argue, Allison placed a kiss on his cheek and headed for the door. Scott sat there a little perplexed. Allison was right; Scott couldn't focus with her around. Still his heart hurt to see her go, he missed her already. Flipping through the book, Scott's eyes traveled over the words not absorbing any of them. His thoughts turned back to Megan.

_Why had Allison and Lydia pushed so hard to have Stiles go over and talk with Megan? _ No matter how hard Scott thought about it, he had to admit he had no clue about the inner workings of girls and their plots. Stiles had seemed ok when he had left, but then Stiles could adapt to almost anything, in Scott's opinion. Megan had to be up to something, her instant popularity couldn't be anything else. Scott hadn't gotten to be even considered popular until he had stared to shine on the lacrosse field and began dating Allison. There had to be more to it. _What had Megan done to merit such attention? _Not knowing bothered Scott more than he cared to admit. Closing the textbook, he got up and headed back to the cafeteria.

The bell rang as Scott got to the cafeteria door. Stiles, Megan and several other kids were there but they were saying their goodbyes and heading towards class. Scott watched Stiles helping Megan with her backpack. Stiles was so obvious, hanging around her almost like a puppy dog. He was smiling and staring as she flirted back. Seeing his best friend taken in by that bitch's act only fueled Scott's anger. Stiles had to go one way to get to class and Megan another, but not before she leaned over and gave Stiles a quick peck on the cheek. Stiles flushed crimson and Scott gritted his teeth. Megan made a direct line for the door where he was watching. As she exited Scott was there in her path.

"What do you think are you doing?" Scott demanded.

"What does it look like I am doing?" Megan shot back.

"Seriously, what's going on?"

Megan ducked around him. "We're going to be late for class."

"Who cares? What was that all at lunch?" Scott demanded grabbing her by the upper left arm.

"I am enjoying my high school experience for the first time in my life, if you don't mind." Megan shook him off and glared at him.

"I want you to leave my friends alone," Scott snarled. The moment the words left his mouth he regretted it. _Am I jealous?_ But already those words hung in the air between them. Megan's eyes went wide and she looked at him taking a step back.

"I think that is for them to decide," she said quietly.

Scott stood there, focusing on his breathing. Megan studied him. He was struggling with his emotions and she had to tread softly with her words. Guilt stabbed at her chest and she pushed the feeling away and took a deep breath.

"Scott, I'm not trying to take your friends away from you." Megan waited for the words to sink in. She could feel the jealousy radiate off him. Megan felt her face go slack as her mask moved back into place. Megan regretted her decision to try to pretend to be a normal teen, if it meant hurting him. Scott had done so much for her and she did not want him to suffer. Megan knew she could not afford to make an enemy out of Scott she had come too far with her plan to fail now. Scott shot her a glare and his eyes flashed gold for a second. Megan put up her hands in surrender. Scott closed his eyes and counted to ten. She was right he was overreacting.

"I'm sorry," he managed to say.

"I'm to blame, if I could leave this school I would Scott," Megan offered, and she meant it. A flirtation with a cute boy was not worth the risk of her plan failing. Too much of her life had been spent waiting for this moment and she could not afford to mess it up now.

Scott shook his head, "No that's not fair, it just…"

"Just what?" Megan asked.

"I just want a normal life," Scott said leaning back against the wall. "I didn't want this."

"I _did_," Megan said invading Scott's personal bubble. "The sooner you understand that, the sooner we can move forward."

"Why? Why the hell would you want this?" Scott eyes flashed gold again.

Megan jerked back, and dropped her head. Scott took several deep breaths and his heart began to slow. Megan just stood there, not moving head down. Strangely it helped Scott calm down. Then the bell rang.

"We are late for class," Megan said. "We need to talk. Meet me after school?"

"I have practice."

"Fine, after then," Megan said and walked away towards class. Megan stopped before heading into the door of the classroom and whispered so only Scott could hear. "I promise to stay in the shadows. It's where I am most comfortable anyways."

Scott stood there, feeling relief. Megan hadn't lied to him… yet. That girl seemed to have a plan of some sort and though he hated what she had done, he could not fault her for wanting to be stronger and wanting to escape. Still he wanted her out of his life and he could not find a reason to justify those feelings. Scott debated whether or not to cut class. Scott needed to think and there was no way he was going to be able to focus on class, but his mom would kill him if he ditched again and she found out. Running his hands through his hair he headed to chemistry. Stiles was waiting.

"Mr. McCall, late again I see. That makes five times in a row and I will be seeing you at Saturday School," his teacher chided. Scott stared at his teacher and took the pink slip as he wandered over to his seat. In a few minutes the lecture was over and the students began their lab work. Stiles of course could not help but talk to Scott.

"Megan told me that Allison practically kidnapped her and took to her house for a makeover."

"I find that hard to believe," Scott said under his breath.

"Its true man, Allison confirmed it. I guess her parents were being total assholes to Megan." Megan had been able to talk to Stiles between classes, away from Scott. Megan had been worried about his latest reactions to her and wanted to have Stiles smooth the way. This included discussing with him what had exactly happened at the Argent's house when Allison had done her miracle makeover. Stiles had been Scott's been best buds since they were in elementary school. Overt manipulation and lies didn't really bring Megan into Scott's good graces.

Now Stiles had Scott's full attention. "What happened to her?"

"She had a minor freak out, more to do with her past than being…well you know."

"Tell me." Scott's eye narrowed. He had experienced way too many close calls with the Argents and others dealing with his own minor freak outs when his emotions had taken over. Megan's past trauma could only make that worse, right? The knot in his stomach tightened.

"Allison said her family saw the scars on her and Allison's dad tried to grab her arm to get a closer look, but Megan chased him away with a knife."

"Jesus."

"Hey at least it wasn't with fangs or claws," Stiles joked.

"Do you think Allison's dad knows about Megan?"

Stiles shrugged. "Doubtful, if he suspected anything, would he go out of town?"

"Good point." Scott turned back to his work but now it was even more important that he talk to Megan. _Why had Mr. Argent done that to her? From what Stiles had said Allison had stood up to her father for her friends, she wouldn't have done that if she knew the truth, would she?_ Scott's head was buzzing by the time he and Stiles suited up for lacrosse practice. Each practice was becoming easier than the last when it came to controlling his wolfish side. Most times Scott was able to get control of his heartbeat or pull back and swallow his rage in time to make a difference. All Stiles' little experiments had been helping.

As the team took the field, Scott scanned the sidelines. Allison and Lydia were thick as thieves watching. Megan, true to her word was nowhere to be seen. Practice went pretty smoothly. Jackson managed not to target Scott for too much abuse, still remembering his dislocated shoulder. On a foul, one of the lacrosse balls flew out into the woods. Their teammate Danny ran after the ball while Scott took a moment to wave at Allison in the stands.

A scream cut through the air. Everyone turned towards where Danny had run into the woods. Everyone on the team headed towards him. Scott and Jackson were the first to arrive on scene followed by Stiles, the coach, and numerous spectators.

There was a body in the woods.

Danny sat there in a pool of blood that was not his. A girl that Scott had never seen before lay in pieces on the pile of dead leaves that half covered the body. Everyone was shocked and whispering. Jackson helped Danny to his feet. The goalie had fallen down the berm and into the ditch where the body had been hidden partially covered by dead leaves and branches. Everyone could see the lacrosse ball on the hill here it had fallen not ten inches from the dead girl's cold, white, blood stained hand. Scott shot a look at Stiles. Stiles shook his head he didn't know her either. Whispered filled the air with tears and small sounds of a few people retching into the nearby bushes. No one seemed to know who the girl was. Scott tried to ignore the stink of vomit but his nose brought his attention in another direction and his anger washed away his fear.

"She looks like she was attacked by an animal," one girl said.

Allison already had her phone out and tossed it to Stiles, "Call your dad."

"Right," Stiles said and began to dial the numbers he looked up again to find Scott, but Scott was gone. Allison turned in a circle looking for Scott and then exchanged a look with Jackson who had at least seen Scott run off.

Scott found Megan away from the crowd but in the outskirts of the wood near the school. Scott's anger roared to life in his head as he charged over to her. _Was this attack her fault? Could she have done this? Or was it the alpha again?_ Too many questions haunted him without answers. Megan stood there waiting for him to come over to her. Scott backed Megan into a tree circling her. Megan watched him with cool eyes.

"What did you do?" Scott snarled.

"What did I do?" Megan mocked. "What do you think I did?"

"Did you kill her?" Scott demanded, invading her space, he was close to losing it.

"Why would I?" Megan snarled back. "That girl meant nothing to me."

"She was a human being."

"Like that matters," Megan shot back.

Scott's hand flew back and rather than cower Megan stiffened holding her ground. "Do it, you will not be the first monster to hit me."

Megan's words were hit him like a hammer. Scott turned and vented his rage on another nearby tree, digging his claws into the bark but pulling his rage back and focusing on his breathing his emotions quieted. Megan did not move. Scott turned back towards her.

"Scott do you honestly think I could tear a girl to pieces? I mean I haven't even seen my first full moon," Megan said. She was calm and her voice almost sounded hurt.

Scott's eyes narrowed. "What do you know?"

"The same thing you do, that some girl got torn to pieces in the woods near the lacrosse field. I had nothing to do with it."

"You're hiding something," Scott snarled.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Megan growled back. "Think about it Scott, could you have done it?"

"I don't go around killing people"_… at least I don't think I do_. He added silently.

Megan's eyes went wide. "But you've hurt someone?"

"I've come close, several times. Once you shift, you will understand how dangerous we can be."

Guilt washed through Scott as he remembered just how many times he had almost tried to kill Stiles, Jackson, even Allison, all because he could not control his emotions. Bad enough to be a teenager with raging hormones and unstable emotions, but add that to his werewolf nature, well it was a bad mix. Scott could not even imagine what it was going to be like with Megan when she shifted. Her past was darker than most and he had to wonder what rage sustained her. Megan was brave; he didn't doubt that but anger, Scott had learned the hard way, clouded judgment and led to a loss of control. Every time Scott had gotten close to fully losing control or actually hurting someone either Stiles or Derek had stopped him._ Or Allison._ Allison was the strongest force that made him remember his humanity. Megan obviously did not have anyone like that in her life. As much as he hated it, Scott knew that when push came to shove, he was going to have to be the one to stop her or she might truly kill someone.

Megan crossed her arms across her chest. "I would prefer to have the benefit of the doubt before that happens if you don't mind."

"Sorry," Scott said, he at least realized he was being a bit of an ass.

Megan ignored his apology. "The alpha has killed many more people than I could ever wish dead, despite my experiences. What are you doing to stop him?"

Scott ground his teeth but he had nothing to tell. The alpha was Derek' problem and Scott had no clue how to stop the alpha. Stiles had made the same point not too long again. Scott hated that this was his responsibility since he was stronger and better equipped to fight than any of his human friends or even the sheriff. Scott hated that he had failed every time he met the alpha and kept being turned into his bitch with even less control over his nature than ever. The alpha seemed to make him feel like more of a monster and what was worse the alpha made him _like_ being a monster. Megan was staring at him and that didn't make him feel any better either.

"That's what I thought." Megan pinched the bridge of her nose, as if relaxing tension in the spot where her glasses once had been. "Look Scott, I get it, you hate me, and I don't blame you. I'm a bitch, but there is only so much of your BS I am going to stand for. Right now, just remember innocent before proven guilty, ok?"

"Fine."

Megan rolled her eyes. "I've gotta go."

"We're not done," Scott said.

"Yes we are, until you can set aside your anger and think about the big picture, there is nothing I can tell you that won't make you want to rip my throat out. So right now, let's give each other some space."

"What about the full moon it is in…"

"The moon will happen when it happens, I don't know about you but I am going to see what I can learn about why the hell the alpha attacked that girl." Megan stormed off using every bit of her supernatural speed.

"He's a monster, what other reason matters than that?" Scott called when she crested the hill. Megan stopped because she had heard him.

"Scott, you sound just like those who hunt us. Are their reasons any less valid when they hunt you?" Megan was gone and even with Scott's enhanced hearing he could not follow her. Rage well up again, and Scott tore his claws into the tree again, not because Megan had to have the last word, but because she was right.

Stiles was watching his father organize the perimeter of the crime scene. The girl had been several years younger than him and yet she seemed so familiar. Stiles kept hoping that Scott would show up and maybe help him get an inside line into what was happening. Stiles' human ears couldn't make out what his dad was saying to the other officers in hushed tones. Stiles chewed on his lacrosse glove he was still in his uniform since he refused to leave the scene until he had learned something, much to the annoyance of his father.

"Stiles, for the last time go home," the sheriff said.

"But dad…"

"No buts, go. Or I am going throw your ass in jail for interfering with a crime scene."

Megan walked up to Stiles who was totally focused on the scene. Megan slithered her arm under his interlocking their elbows. "Stiles, let's go." Stiles tore his eyes away from the scene and stared at Megan.

"Hello," the sheriff said to Megan. "And who might you be?"

Stiles gaped. "Um, dad this is Megan. Megan this is my dad the Sheriff."

"I need some help with my math homework, Stiles. Want to grab a bite and study? I am sure your dad needs to get back to work."

"Go, Stiles," the Sheriff said.

Stiles was still standing there gaping at the two of them.

"Fine. I need to change," Stiles mumbled.

Megan leaned over to whisper in Stile's ear. "I'll tell you what I overheard."

"You kids have fun," the Sheriff said turning back to his work. He couldn't hide his amusement as he watched his son being dragged off by a girl who obviously liked him. The sheriff made a mental note to grill his son once they both got home.

Megan followed Stiles back to the locker room. He kept turning back to look at the scene behind them as Megan urged him forward.

"Tell me what you heard," Stiles demanded.

"Change first, then I'll spill," Megan said with a sardonic smile.

Stiles looked like he wanted to argue but Megan fixed him with her stare that spoke volumes of her stubbornness. Stiles rolled his eyes and grabbed his lacrosse stick and disappeared into the locker room. In record time, Stiles had changed back into his street clothes. Megan was still there waiting for him. The sun had set and the lights from the crime scene danced across the horizon. Stiles watched as Megan hugged her chest as if cold despite the layers of clothing she was wearing. Stiles shouldered his bag and walked up to her.

"Are you going to tell me what you heard?"

Megan raised an eyebrow. "The cops are talking about how this is one more animal attack but this time it was worse than the previous. Unlike the prior attacks this looked like a body dump since there wasn't enough blood for the girl to have been killed where she was found."

"Damn," Stiles said and dug his hands into his jacket pockets, then leaned against the wall. He was so worried about his dad. The alpha had to be back. It had been too much to hope that the killings were going to stop, and Stiles felt like a fool hoping that the alpha had moved on.

"I want to show you something," Megan said.

"What?" Stiles asked. "I mean, I've seen your grades I know you don't need help with math."

Stiles had meant it as a joke, but Megan shrugged began to walk towards the school entrance where the parking lot stood near the woods and Stiles trotted along to keep up.

"How much has Scott shared with you about his dual nature?"

"Scott tries to tells me everything, but he hates when I ask a lot of questions." If anything, Stiles knew Scott didn't have the answers to every strange idea that popped into Stiles head. The pressure to answer and deal with his best friend seemed to be a trigger for Scott, in Stiles' opinion. Add to that, the difficulty Scott had at explaining what he felt meant that Stiles had to do a lot of guess work to fill in the blanks to many of his questions.

Megan nodded, "Understandable, Scott has a lot to deal with."

"And you don't?"

"I was ready for it." Megan studied Stiles, he obviously was worried about something. "Did Scott tell you not to talk to me?"

Stiles tried to deny it. "No." Megan gave him a look and he caved. "Ok, yes. But he's worried about you, and so am I."

"I'm fine."

"Really that is not what Allison told me."

"Her dad grabbed me but nothing happened, I didn't wolf out or anything."

"But you could have," Stile insisted and got closer to her. "Scott has already had his fair share of close calls, hell he will probably have more, unless he gets his anger under control."

"I have control, I have years of control," Megan growled then sighed. "Besides, everyone seems to be forgetting that I can't shift at will until after the full moon."

Stiles stopped walking. "Sorry? I think?"

Megan turned and looked at Stiles. The light from the school lit up her face while his remained in shadow. Stiles did not like the look in her eyes as Megan seemed to be lost in thought. Stiles knew that Scott had talked to her but what had his friend said to make her react like this? Megan must had been able to see his fear on his face.

Stiles watched Megan as her entire demeanor changed as if turning off a light. All the rage and emotion, was just gone. She was calm and collected; the mask she had been wearing at school all day slid back into place and filled up her eyes with friendly interest. Stiles felt himself relax but in the back of his mind he felt he could not trust her smile. Megan turned back to the parking lot and continued walking, Stiles followed as she led him to his jeep.

"Do you mind driving? I want to go somewhere where no one will find us."

"Um sure, but why?"

"I will explain in the car." '

Stiles lead the way. He took the time to open and hold the door for Megan, who climbed in. They got on the highway and began to drive. After a few minutes of silence Stiles had enough.

"Where are we going?" Stiles asked.

"Pick a place and park."

"Ok, but why?" Stiles pulled off into a remote turn off and killed the engine. Megan turned and faced him.

"Stiles, I have been working on several …experiments, testing myself and what I can do. It has been very enlightening."

Stiles went still, looking at her and thinking of the body in the woods from earlier. "What have you done?"

Megan ignored the accusation, it was no surprise that Scott was his best friend, and began to roll up her right sleeve. Stiles remembered the scars that had been there, the crisscross patterns and small circular cigarette burns. Now there was only smooth perfect skin. Megan had healed and she continued to roll up her other sleeve. The scars were still visible and ugly. Stiles leaned forward to get a good look. Megan allowed him to.

"What did you do?" Stiles asked.

Knife flicked before her face faster that Stiles could see. Startled, Stiles pulled back. Megan turned around the knife and held it to her wrist where a cigarette burn sat on her left wrist.

"What are you…" but before Stiles could finish that sentence, Megan slid the blade under her skin. No pain showed on her face or reaction as she peeled back the flesh where the burn lay and snipped it off, leaving a small trial of blood. "Jesus," Stiles swore, and together they watched as her flesh began to heal. There was no scar once the healing was complete. The remaining skin flap lay on her lap where a few small drops of blood stained her jeans. Stiles jaw dropped and Megan's mouth pulled tight into a bitter smile as she clenched her teeth.

"Pain can be managed, but the really amazing thing is how I heal so quickly," Megan said as she licked her wound and wiped away the blood.

"Why would you do that?" Stiles asked.

Megan tucked away the knife with a flick of her wrist. "Unlike you, I have spent a good part of my life hiding because if people saw me, saw what had been done to me, I would have been stuck labeled as a pity case or a monster." Megan gave Stiles a bitter laugh. "Ironic isn't, I gave up being one type of monster to volunteer to become another."

"At least this time, it was your choice," Stiles offered. "That's a good thing right?"

"At least you get it," Megan said. Scott was being such a pain. Megan could feel Scott's rage every time he looked at her. It was like just the act of seeing her as a trigger for his anger and a reminder of what she had done to him. Not that she could blame him; every man she had ever met hated to have their pride wounded. Megan had taken his control and used him against his will and his rage was the price she had to pay. Even though Megan knew this, it didn't make her like it any less.

"Are you kidding? I think you guys are amazing." Megan looked at Stiles he was sweet, and was just as smitten with the idea that the supernatural was just as real as every day mundane life.

"Why do you care? Is it just because of your friendship with Scott or morbid curiosity?"

"A little of both I guess." Stiles sat there next to her looking at his steering wheel. "Seriously, what is your plan? I mean it obvious you have one."

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," Megan said, utterly flat in her tone. Stiles stared at her and swallowed. Then a smile crept across Megan's face. "That was joke, Stiles."

"I knew that." He relaxed a little bit.

"After the full moon I am going to need your help."

"Anything," Stiles said. "What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to tell me about your dad, can he be trusted?"

That was an odd question and had nothing to do with werewolves, to Stile's disappointment.

"Yeah, he's a good guy." Stiles knew his father was a huge by-the-book kind of cop and when it came to his job, the sheriff took it very seriously. He'd been sheriff for over ten years and as far as Stiles was concerned his dad was awesome at his job.

"Will be believe you if you tell him to come to my house at a certain time without knowing why?"

Stiles thought about it. "I'm not sure." His dad hated it when Stiles used the police band, not that this had stopped him in the past, but when worse case to worst his father was there for him.

"Can you convince him?" Megan asked.

Stiles hunched, "Maybe but, I am kind of a pain is the butt."

"But if it was a matter of life and death could you get him there?"

"I guess."

Megan studied him. "Good."

"Is this about the people who hurt you?" Stiles wanted to ask her more about her past but he wasn't sure how Megan would respond to more questions and he hated the idea that he would be digging up old memories and reopening old wounds.

"Yeah, yeah it is." Megan bit her lip. _How much do I tell him?_ "I just don't want them to hurt anyone else."

"But you're a werewolf, what do you have to be afraid of."

"I am not worried about me," Megan said her voice full of pain. "I need to get my mom out and in a place where people can help her."

"Rehab?"

"Yeah, but to do that I have to get rid of my uncle and that means, he needs to be arrested doing something illegal, and that is very difficult." Megan thought of all the dirt she had been gathering. By pretending to be brain dead or drug addled she had learned a great deal.

"What are you going to do?" Stiles asked, happy that Megan was thinking of having the people who had hurt arrested, instead of planning on killing them after the full moon, which could have been her other plan.

"Let's just say I have a plan to catch him in the act and I need a good cop who will arrest him immediately and one who cannot be bought."

"That's my dad." Stiles felt an extreme amount of pride and relief. A mobster was so much better in the world of criminals for his dad to be hunting. The alpha was a werewolf problem and every night Stiles worried that his dad would be found with his throat torn out.

Megan nodded. "That's what I hoped."

Silence settled in on the car. Megan looked at the window and Stiles had a moment to study her profile. Megan wasn't the natural overwhelming beauty that Lydia was nor was she a pixie supermodel like Allison, but there was something comely about Megan. In the moonlight, her face seemed to relax and the mask seemed to slip away. She seemed almost vulnerable.

"What happens if your plan works?" Stiles asked.

"I will be free," then she turned and looked at him. "And maybe then I can start to live."

16


	4. Chapter 4

Pack Mate Chapter Four

While Stiles was driving Megan back to her motorcycle, Scott decided to see if Derek was back from whatever mission he had been involved in. The old Hail house seemed more remote and threatening as Scott headed up the stairs. Derek's car was parked out front. The mean black muscle car, showed signs of mud and rain. Scott stood outside the door, he had to go in, but he didn't want to. Derek was going to be pissed.

"Are you coming in or not?" Derek called from inside.

Scott sighed and opened the door. "Derek?" Scott walked inside. He could remember the numerous fights he had with Derek inside the condemned house. Derek was older and wiser than him, or so he assumed. Derek kept telling Scott he wanted to teach Scott how to be a better werewolf. How many times had Scott snapped in Derek's face only to show up days later to get the same information he had previously scoffed at. Derek was waiting for him.

"Hey," Scott said. "Can I talk to you?"

Derek nodded. "Sure."

"There's this girl…"

"Allison?"

"No another girl, but she knows Allison, now thanks to me." Scott began to pace. "She knows about us, werewolves I mean."

"Did you tell her anything?"

"I didn't have to she followed me… on the full moon."

"Jesus," Derek cursed.

"I know…"Scott said.

"What did you do?" Derek bellowed.

"It was a mistake!" Scott snarled.

"You bet your ass it was a mistake. You bit her didn't you?"

Scott dropped his head. "Yes."

"Great now I have two idiot teenage werewolves to deal with," Derek snarled and kicked a chair. He turned on Scott, who flinched as if he expected Derek to strike him. "You are going to tell me everything that you remember, and we are going to deal with this."

Scott nodded. He slumped onto the couch and told Derek about how he had met Megan both before and after the full moon. Derek sat like a stone and listened to Scott related every detail that he could remember and some of what he guessed had occurred. He retold the story Megan had shared with Stiles and himself in the woods. When there was nothing more to say the two sat in silence while Derek processed this new information.

"I never thought that she would be so devious," Derek finally said. "I need to meet her."

"Wait… you knew there was someone out there who was stalking us and that she wasn't a hunter?" Scott asked shocked.

"My sister mentioned her. She said she had found someone to help with her research on the alpha but warned me that if I ever met her I needed to be careful around her, since she wanted a werewolf to bite her."

"And you didn't stop her, or warn me?" Scott shouted.

"I didn't know who she was or even if she still was in town. I told my sister only mentioned her before she disappeared."

Scott drug his fingers through his hair and down his face. "You must think I am a total rube for falling for her trap."

"Actually, if it had been me, I might have done something similar when I was your age. I never expected someone to have that level of cunning and sophistication mixed with that level of depravity. I mean to risk every aspect of yourself like that, she must have really trusted you… or had nothing left to lose."

"I still don't understand it." Scott looked at his hands, Derek had said he could hurt someone when his wolf took over, that he could kill someone, but to plan something so soul crushing and acting on it… who does that?

"What do you expect after more than five years of systematic abuse? She's isn't stable," Derek said.

"Well, I am not sure she is a crazy either," Scott shot back.

"But you don't know anything about her that she hasn't told you."

"I am pretty sure that those scars didn't just appear on their own, especially the ones on her back." Scott started to pace back and forth. "You can't know the truth."

"That is my point, you have no way to know what really happened to her, just what she chose to tell you."

Why was he so angry? Derek was only saying the exact things Scott had been thinking earlier that week. Scott glared at Derek for several heartbeats then shook his head. "You're right. But what are we going to do about her? I mean why make up a story like that? I am not sure what she would get out of being tortured?"

"I don't know."

"I need to help her," Scott said.

"No, you need to make sure she doesn't kill anyone. She is your responsibility now."

Just hearing someone else say what Scott had known in his heart, didn't make him feel any better, but there was still time. "Will you help me?"

"Yes," Derek said.

"Great," Scott sighed.

"You are going to bring her to see me," Derek said grabbing Scott by the scruff of the neck. "And I am going to clean up your mess."

Derek practically threw Scott out of his house.

"You aren't going to kill her, are you?"

Derek glared at him. "Why would you care, you just told me you don't trust her."

"I…," Scott couldn't explain it, he didn't want to see Megan dead, but he was just as pissed at her. "You said she was my responsibility, and I don't want to see her get hurt." Derek looked at him. "Ok, I don't want her dead, hurt is relative."

"You just get here, tomorrow, before sunset." Derek stormed away.

School was a dull as normal, even seeing Allison could not brighten Scott's mood. He spent the day snapping at everyone and trying to find Megan. She seemed to be avoiding him. Even with Stiles help, she seemed to have reverted back to the ghost she had been during their entire high school experience. Finally Scott took to hanging out at her classrooms the moment the bell rang. Finally he cornered her. Megan had continued with her new look and the fact that she looked like every normal teen girl, made it that much easier for her to blend in. Scott almost missed her, but his nose had led him in the right direction.

"Derek wants to see you," Scott said coming up to her locker.

"You told him," Megan sighed. "Why the hell did you do that?"

"Don't ask me that. You know why." Scott glared at her. "You didn't tell me that he knew you."

"He doesn't. I knew his sister."

Scott remembered the body. Derek's sister had been used as bait to lure Derek into the hunters trap, but they hadn't killed her. That had been the alpha. The fact that the body count had not been steadily increase was like a god send and suspicious at the same time. Scott chose to ignore the larger problem for the smaller one who stood in front of him. If what Derek said about a pack was correct, then they might need her to fight the alpha.

"The full moon is in three days," Scott said.

"Trust me I am well aware of that fact." Megan closed her locker and began to walk towards her last class.

"I think we should be together when it happens, Derek said he could help."

"You don't sound too confident about that option."

"Trust me you don't want to be alone. I know you feel good right now…"

"I feel fantastic," Megan smiled.

"But you won't. The change hurts."

"I've lived with pain."

"Not like this you haven't. Look I was alone because I was stubborn and in denial. It was one of the most painful and terrifying experiences of my life. I don't want it to be like that for you."

Megan gave Scott a long look. "Tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"About your first change."

Scott stared at her. If anything, she had taught him not to discuss such things at school, you never knew who would be listening and Jackson still was gunning for him.

"Fine, but not here. Do you know where the old Hail house is?" Scott asked.

"I can find it."

"Then meet us both there at sunset and we will talk."

"You two aren't going to gang up on me and try and take my head or something?" Megan asked. Scott looked shocked. She sighed. "Just kidding. I'll be there."

With that she disappeared into her next class. Scott felt a huge weight had been removed from his shoulders. Derek would know how best to deal with her. Scott went back to class with higher hope and a better attitude.

The sun dipped low in the sky, forcing the forest to dark contrast of silhouettes that made the twilight almost eerie. Scott parked his bike and took off his helmet. Derek's car was parked out front but there was no sign of Megan. Derek wandered out onto the porch as Scott approached.

"Scott."

"Derek."

"Where is she?" Derek asked.

"Sun hasn't set yet, and she promised she would be here."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't trust her."

"I don't, but she hasn't ever lied to me."

An engine roared in the background and Scott silently cursed to himself. He knew that engine. Stiles pulled up in his jeep and parked next to Derek's muscle car. Megan was in the front seat watching them. She jumped out followed by Stiles. Scott and Derek walked down to join them.

"Hello Derek," Megan said.

"Stiles, what are you doing here?" Scott asked.

"She needed a ride."

"Bikes in the shop," Megan explained. "Stiles came for you as much as for me, Scott."

Scott snorted. This was great, just great.

Megan ignored the little non-verbal exchange between Scott and Stiles. She walked directly up to Derek. She was tall enough to stare him in the eye. "Your sister was good people."

Derek's eyes narrowed. "She mentioned you too."

"Hopefully only good things." Megan smiled. Derek didn't smile back.

"Do you know what she was doing before she disappeared?" Derek asked.

Megan shrugged. "She was tracking the alpha, but she did tell me one thing before she disappeared."

Megan didn't wait for an invitation but walked into the house, everyone followed her. He place had not improved much. Megan made herself at home on the couch.

"Well?" Derek said.

Megan met his glare. Scott and Stiles spread out around them. Stiles sat down behind the writing desk while Scott sat on the wood crate across from the couch. Derek remained standing staring down at Megan arms crossed.

"I thought this meeting was to share information," Megan said looking at Scott. "We all benefit from that."

"What do you want to know?" Derek asked.

"She wants to know about the Shift, when we change," Scott said. "I kind of promised her we would help her."

"I can teach you to control the Shift even on the full moon, but your first change is the worst," Derek said. Scott nodded in agreement. "After your first full moon you can shift at will."

"Or whenever your pulse gets above a certain point, for Scott that is 160 beats per minute," Stiles added. Derek shot him a look. "I'll be quiet."

"Scott?" Megan prompted.

Scott sighed and grabbed the back of his neck, this was embarrassing and uncomfortable but everyone was waiting for him to answer and explain.

"Fine, my first full moon, I went to a party with Allison." Megan's eyebrow went up but she did not interrupt. "Stiles had tried to warn me earlier that day and I nearly took his head off for it, but I went. I was ok at first but then… I got this massive headache. My senses were tight as a wire and set off by any little thing. I managed to ditch Allison at the party and drive myself home. I was sweaty and burning up so I gave myself a cold shower, but that didn't help. The shift didn't happen all at once, it took a while. For me it started in my hands, then my teeth until I had completely shifted. I was really painful."

"Did you hunt?" Megan asked.

"Yeah." Scott didn't elaborate.

"He hunted me. He thought I was the one who had bitten him," Derek said. "Thanks to a cross bow arm to the arm, he was able to revert back to human and avoid hurting anyone."

"That's all it took?" Megan looked skeptical.

"Pain keeps you human," Scott said.

"I see." Megan sat back thinking.

"Your turn," Scott said.

"Fair enough." Megan withdrew a piece of paper from her coat. Unfolding it she stood and laid it on the table in front of Stiles. It was a map of the town. Little red dots covered the paper. "These are all the sighting and attacks by the alpha in the last few months. Notice anything?"

Each of the men took turns examining the paper. No one said anything. Megan extracted another set of smaller papers.

"If there is a pattern, I don't see it," Stiles said but he did not tear his eyes away from the map searching.

"Your sister had me looking into werewolf lore. There was a clan, similar to your family Derek, they were the ones who got as close to ruling the werewolves as any group ever had. It is said that they were able to control every aspect of their nature, shifting from human to monstrous wolves in wartime. They were healers and assassins."

"Well what does that have to do with the alpha? You said this was only a legend right?" Scott asked.

"All myth is based on some fact. The part that your sister was interested in was how the leaders could force werewolves who were not their pack into killing for them. They could send these people in unaware that they had been influenced and force them to kill their closets friends."

"Wait a minute," Stiles said. "Are you telling me that the alpha is merely a pawn? That someone is using him to kill for them?"

"Derek's sister thought so," Megan said.

"That's impossible the alpha is a monster, who could control that?" Scott asked.

"You tell me. All I have is this symbol." Megan placed a spiral of sorts down on the table. It was similar to Derek's tattoo but different as well. "That was the clan's symbol of power."

"Holy shit," Stiles said.

"What?" Scott said.  
>Stiles fumbled into his back and pulled out a pink highlighter. Quickly he dragged the pen across the map connecting the dots, until it revealed the same symbol that was on the piece of paper that Megan held.<p>

"What does this mean? Did my sister tell you?" Derek demanded.

Megan shook her head. "After she found the symbol and gave it to me, she disappeared. I'm sorry that is all I know."

Derek stood and growled hitting the wall and breaking through. "Damn it."

Megan ignored his outburst, even though both Scott and Stiles could feel their hearts race. "I'm sorry I don't have more information to give you.

"No that helped, I just… I just miss her." Derek turned back to them. "One thing is certain is that we need to stick together. I want you to meet me at your school the night of the full moon."

"Whoa, I am not shifting at the school," Scott said.

"Of course not, but my house is usually being watched during the full moon. We need to get further away from civilization, away from the hunters and hopefully the alpha. I promised to teach you control Scott but that requires we work together so you both can learn."

"Sounds good to me," Megan said getting to her feet.

"Can I come?" Stiles asked. Scott shot him a look, Megan gave him a sad smile, and Derek turned on him.

"You want to be on the menu?" Derek asked.

"Ah, no. I'll stay home, but I will have my phone on me, so you can call or text if you need help."

Derek ignored him. "You two keep your heads down and eyes open. Report to me anything you learn and don't take any chances."

Scott and Megan nodded. The meeting was over.

_Journal Entry 2421_

_Derek was rather intimidating, no doubt an impression he has been working on perfecting for years. I can't really blame him, I have my masks I wear as well. I wish I could have been more helpful, but I have my own mysteries to deal with. No matter what I do, it seems that my mere presence bother's Scott and makes his life more difficult. Thanks to testosterone, I am sure, it can't be easy. The only thing I can give him is space. Besides I was never meant to be in the spot light. Darkness has been my friend, because I have seen the terrors that can live in the light. _

Scott found a note taped on the inside of his locker the next day. Megan had yet to show her face and Stiles had been research that secret werewolf clan all night trying to pick up the trail that Derek's sister had left behind. So far they had more questions than answers.

_Scott – _

_Words can never convey the regret in my heart, not for the gift you gave me, but for the price it cost you. This is a debt I can never repay. I know my presence is unwanted, so I will give you want you want. You will not see me until the full moon. Take care of yourself. _

_ -M_

Scott re-read the letter. What the hell was she up to now? Megan was such a pain. He crumpled the letter and tossed it in his locker. Classes were routine. Scott entered the cafeteria for lunch and there they were all his friends at their table. Stiles was chatting with Allison and sneaking quick glances at Lydia. Megan was nowhere to be seen. The rest of the week no one seemed to be able to find her. She was a grade above them and no one shared classes with her. She was a ghost again. Stiles and Allison mentioned her absence once or twice but quickly dropped the subject around Scott. Stiles kept looking like he knew something but his new search took up all his free time. Scott was finally able to settle back to his old normal. How long could that last before the full moon?

Scott's skin began to itch. Dusk settled around the school. Derek stood waiting for him. Megan was with him. She had worn a tank top and cutoff jeans that didn't look like they had ever fit her properly. Derek looked in control as always. Darkness settle around them as Scott joined the group. Stiles had begged to come along, but Scott knew better. He did not want to repeat what had happen last full moon or worse.

"You ready for this?" Scott asked Megan.

She nodded, and her carefully constructed mask slipped a little she looked scared. _Good. _Scott thought.

"Get in," Derek said climbing into the driver's seat.

"Where are we going?"

"My house is not safe we need to get out more into the wild, away from people."

They rode in silence. Scott watched Megan for any sign of her change. She seemed relaxed watching the forest fly by, then, her breathing changed.

"You ok?" Scott asked.

"I think it's started." Megan panted.

Scott watched her struggle with her body. She was sweating and shaking. Scott remembered how he had run the party and almost crashed the car trying to get home. The memory hit him hard and he felt his own body begin to shift. Derek poked him in the chest with one clawed hand drawing blood.

"Don't you start, we're almost there."

Pain helped Scott focus and the tiny cut was healed by the time Derek stopped the car. He practically dragged Megan from the car. She clung to Derek and screamed in pain. Derek picked her up and carried her into the woods. All Scott could do was follow.

Several hundred yards from the car, Megan broke free from Derek's grasp. The clouds parted and Scott watched as she was drenched in moonlight. Her change had been more violent than his and watching it filled him with a morbid fascination and drew out his own wolf.

Megan's eyes glowed amber echoing Scott's own golden stare. Her claws dug into the ground as she arched her back against the pain. Derek just stood there and watched. She remained on all fours as the change took her. Megan gritted her teeth as fangs formed and her ears stretched.

Scott had completed his transition in a matter of moments, but Megan was still struggling. He looked over to Derek who had been watching the entire scene unfold.

"Something is wrong," Scott said.

"No, she's not done."

"What?" Megan had gone past the change that Scott or Derek had been able to perform. Her body was convulsing as hair began to appear all over her skin. They could hear the bones breaking and reforming as she shifted resembling the monster that only blurred photographs and the old books that Stiles had referenced.

"Alpha," Derek whispered.

"But that's not possible. I bit her!" Scott shouted.

Derek shook his head. "Becoming an alpha is an ability you are born with. Like my sister."

Now Derek moved. His blue eyes began to glow as the change came over him. He began to pace around Megan.

"Is she going to kill us?" Scott asked.

"No, we are going to try and bring her back, before that happens."

Scott stood up and mimicked Derek's stance as they approached Megan. She had stopped convulsing and stood on all four panting. Her eyes glowed red. She stalked around in her new monstrous form, growling at them, hackles raised. Derek bolted forward and grabbed her. She shook him off and Scott came at her. They fought and wrestled with snarls and growls. Scott managed to kick her so hard that Megan flew back into a tree and lay there stunned. Derek took the opening and attacked with ferocity that Scott could never imagine coming from someone. Megan rolled over on her belly and it was over. Scott stood bloody struggling out of the remains of his shirt. She hadn't actually hurt him; the blood had been Megan's not his. He watched as she struggled on the ground, it was obvious that she was making certain that her stomach was facing Derek, but her fur was falling off. The change was reverting back. Megan finally rolled over and hugged her side as if trying to contain the wolf inside her. Slowly the more monstrous aspects fade and Megan sat there with a face that echoed Scott's and Derek's beastly side.

Derek finally began to relax. His face returned to human and he was panting.

"Megan?" Derek said.

She flinched and made herself smaller.

"Why is she doing that?" Scott asked.

"It is a sign of submission, it's a good thing." Derek walked over a knelt next to Megan. "I'm sorry we had no way of knowing."

Megan nodded. "Neither did I."

Derek helped Megan to her feet. She had managed to keep her clothing on despite the change, and though she remained covered they were a little worse for wear. The cuts had already healed and the drying blood was sticky and itchy.

"Will I change like that again?' Megan asked.

Derek's face darkened. "I'm not sure. My sister only took her alpha form when she first changed or when she was extremely threatened and hurt. She said she hated it."

Megan wrapped her arms around her chest. "I can see why."

"What was it like?" Scott asked.

Megan shuddered. "Horrible. The desire to kill is so strong, there was nothing human about me, not like now. I can't explain it."

Scott nodded. The fact that something could be worse than his own curse put a new twist on his perspective and why Derek seemed content. The night was far from over. A loud crack echoed through the forest. Derek, Megan, and Scott spun and formed a circle back to back on instinct.

"They're here," Derek said looking out into the darkness. Scott went on full alert and cued by them Megan dropped to a crouch, sniffing the air.

"I thought you said the hunters were out of town," Megan whispered.

"They were," Scott shot back.

Derek smiled. "There are only four of them. Here's what we are going to do."

Derek explained the need to work together as a pack. Scott and Megan were to wolf out in order to disguise their appearances. Derek would confront and drive the hunters, while Megan and Scott flanked their position and cut off the escape. Stiles had made Scott a little goodie back to help restrain Megan on her first full moon. It never got used but the police issued restraints would now come in handy. The hunters were the same group of four, the Argen siblings and their two male henchmen. Melting into the shadows, the pack spread out, circling the hunters. Mr. Argen was on high alert, every person who stood at his back would not flinch but this time something felt different. He came to a stop and his sister stepped up behind him.

"What is it?" she asked. Argen held up his hand, a branch broke behind them. Kate spun around leveling her rifle, but no one was there.

"They're here," Argen said. "We're surrounded."

"Is it the alpha?" the larger of the two men asked.

"The alpha would have chopped you into little pieces by now," Derek said coming out of the shadows.

"Derek," Argen said, leveling the crossbow at his opponent. There werewolf seemed calm, confident, different. Argen didn't like it. Derek kept his hands were they could be seen, but his eyes glittered in the moonlight.

"Argen."

"Where is the alpha," Argen demanded.

Derek shrugged, "I haven't a clue. But I will find him."

"And what warn him?" Kate shot back. "What are we waiting for? Let's shot him."

"Hold!" Argen snarled. "We need him."

Derek laughed. "Is there where you offer to join forces against the alpha, and then kill me? I think your sister delivered that message loud and clear."

Argen looked back at Kate and she at least did not deny it. "We will talk later."

"Whatever. Why are we talking to this pup, anyway?" Kate asked.

"Because he sticks to a code, unlike you," Derek explained. The hunters looked shocked. "Oh, I know about it. Just like you study us to be better hunters we do the same. Though of your little band, I think you are only one who cares Argen."

"Ok, I done with this little show," Kate said cocking her gun.

A howl broke the silence and she spun around. In the darkness, shapes moved and both of the lackies were taken down, before Kate could even get a shot off. Derek was smiling. Argen leveled his crossbow and fired at Derek's heart. As the arrow released, faster than he had ever moved before, Derek reached out and plucked the arrow from the air inches from his chest. Looking up at Argen, he snapped the shaft in half, smiled and tossed the pieces into forest floor. A shot rang out. Megan had managed to disarm Kate and had her in a locked grip. As Megan put pressure on Kate's wrist, she was able to bend the woman and place her lips right next to her throat. The gun just appeared in his hand as Argen pointed it at Megan.

"Drop it, Argen," Megan growled. The threat of the bite was blatant as her fangs almost gently caressed Kate's flesh.

Argen, stood there. "Shoot her, bro!" Kate shouted. Megan applied pressure to the wrist lock and Kate screamed.

"Wait!" Argen shouted and tossed the gun towards Derek.

"Coward," Kate spat.

Argen shot his sister an angry look. "I think it would be a good time to shut the hell up, sis."

"Why? They are just going to kill us." Kate's words were filled with so much hate and malice.

"We didn't start this fight," Derek said picking up the gun. "You did. We're predators, we don't have to be killers."

"Tell that to Marty and Hank," Kate spat. There was a commotion from the forest behind them, and Derek smiled.

Hank, the larger man, came flying through the air. His wrists were bound behind with plastic zip ties. He hit the ground and rolled eating dirt coming not ten feet from Argen. A moment later his partner was delivered in the same manner. Both men were alive. Scott stayed hidden, as Derek had told him to.

"See we are not killers," Derek said. "You're men are unharmed." He tossed a set of the plastic cuffs at Argen's feet. "Trust not something we have for one another. But we need to talk."

"And these are for?"

Derek stared at him, "A simple precaution, who knows what little toys you have hidden away."

Argen slipped on the cuffs and using his teeth tightened them around his wrist, well aware that Derek could leave them tied up for the alpha to find. Still… Argen had never been brought to a stalemate before for with a werewolf, and Derek had been far more honorable than Kate.

"How many of you are there?" Argen asked.

Derek ignored the question. "We have a common enemy. The alpha does not belong to our pack. We don't want this carnage any more than you do."

"I told you, bro, the dog doesn't know anything."

"I know that you have constantly dogged our steps, invaded our territory, and constantly threatened us with exposure, pain and death. Think about it, the only time we have ever attacked you was when we were provoked."

"Bull shit," Kate said.

"Shut up, Katie," Argen shot back. He wanted to hear more. Matching Derek stare for stare, Argen quirked an eyebrow. "What are you suggesting?"

"Stop kicking around dead ends. You know we have no ties to the alpha. Take your hunt to him and leave us alone."

"The killings have to stop."

"Then help us, help you stop them. We don't have to be enemies." Derek studied the man. He could almost see the wheels turning inside Argen's head. He was an honorable man despite his associates. There was hope that he could be reasoned with, Derek hated to admit it but he didn't want to be a killer any more than Scott did.

Ever so slowly, Kate had been using the distraction her brother was giving her to move her free hand towards the silver knife in her boot. The wolf that held her was as caught up in the dialogue as Argen was. It was all Kate could do not to fight or struggle more. She slipped it out silent and smooth. With every ounce of strength she had left, Kate dug the blade into Megan's leg, twisting and tearing in the process through muscle till she hit bone, shouting, "Bitch!"

Megan stiffened and grunted at the pain, but she did not cry out, or to Kate's disappointment, let go. Instead, the wristlock tensed, and Megan broke Kate's arm, in three places. The noise alerted the others. Scott appeared out of the darkness and pulled the blade out, burning his hand on the silver hilt. The stench of burnt werewolf flesh filled the air. Megan was panting hard fighting to keep her façade but the pain drove her back to being human.

"I knew it," Kate panted through her pain. She looked at Megan and hated her.  
>Argen, stared, his eyes growing cold. "You know my daughter."<p>

"They have no honor," Megan said.

"You came after my family, into my home," Argen said.

"No," Megan shook her head. "Your daughter is the only good person in your family. She never judged me, but was generous and kind. You should be proud of her."

Scott grabbed Kate's arms and using the last of the restraints pinned her arms behind her. Kate screamed as her broken arm was bent back.

"You stay away from her!" Argen shouted.

Derek grinned. "We have no quarrel with your family. You just work harder on keeping your sister on a shorter leash."

"Fine."

Derek jerked his head towards Megan. "Help her," he told Scott. They retreated to the edge of the forest and back into the shadows. That left Derek holding a gun to Argen.

"What are you going to do now? Leave us helpless for the alpha to find?" Argen asked.

Derek ejected the clip and threw it to his right. Popping out the last bullet from the chamber it feel in front of Argen and Derek tossed the gun to his left. Flicking a knife open he held it before Argen's face.

"I want you to remember this night. Remember that those you hunted, with no reason than your own fear and bloodlust, showed you mercy." Derek tossed the knife blade down into the dirt in front of Argen and walked away.

"This isn't over!" Kate screamed into the darkness as Argen used the knife to cut through his restraints. He walked over to his sister.

"What?" she snarled.

Kate looked so helpless even as she raged. It was as if he was truly seeing his sister for the first time. She wanted the fight, hell she had done everything to provoke the wolves into killing her. Her fatalistic tenacity was going to get her killed and for the first time, he wondered about what was behind that death wish. Argen turned to release his men and didn't say a damn thing.

Megan collapsed about a hundred yard from where the pack had left the hunters. Her leg was on fire, filling her mind with flashbacks of Mac and the branding iron. She whimpered as Scott picked her up.

"What's wrong with her?" Scott asked.

Derek ran his hands over Megan's wound and face. "She's was stabbed with silver and it is sending her body into shock. We need to cleanse the wound."

"We can't take her to a hospital?"

"Too many questions, we'll take her to your work. Stay with her, I'll get the car." Derek was gone.

Megan was burning up. Scott had managed to pull his wolf back. He brushed the hair out of her face. She looked like she was dying.

"Hang in there," he whispered. "Please, don't die."

Megan's eyes flashed open wide. She was panting through clenched teeth and the tears slid down her face. "I am…so… sorry."

"Shhh," Scott pulled her closer. "It will be alright."

The black muscle car roared into view and slid to a stop in the dead leaves. Derek was at their side in an instant. Together the boys put Megan into the back seat. Derek tossed Scott a clean shirt as they both climbed in.

"Is she going to die?" Scott asked as he cradled Megan's head in his lap.

Derek didn't save anything but dropped his foot down hard on the gas the moment they hit asphalt.

Derek almost spun out as he stopped in front of the animal hospital. Stiles was there waiting he had bag in his hand and looked nervous.

"Stiles what are you doing here?" Scott asked getting out of the car.

"He sent me a text," Stiles said indicating to Derek and giving the larger man space.

"Did you bring the stuff?" Derek demanded.

Stiles raised a plastic bag in the air. "Right here, what do you need…. Oh crap." Stiles watched in horror as Derek helped Scott pull Megan torn and bloody from the car.

"Get the door," Derek ordered and Stiles bolted to action. The three men carried Megan into the largest room and laid her out on the stainless steel table. With a quick rip of fabric, Derek tore up Megan's pant leg to her crotch. The blood was everywhere. Scott pulled out gaze and iodine and handed it to Derek. He poured it over the wound and wiped away the blood.

"You, put pressure here." Derek grabbed Scott's hand and had him press on the femoral artery. "You," he snarled at Stiles. "Grind up the wolf's bane."

"Isn't that poisonous?" Scott asked.

"It is better than silver." Derek muttered. The wound was back it had to be cleansed and he had to make sure that there were not any slivers of silver left in the wound. Megan was still awake and she was biting her lip. Never in his life had Derek seen someone who could face such pain, even remembering when he had been shot by that bitch hunter's wolf's bane bullet couldn't compare to silver poisoning.

"Megan this is going to hurt," Derek said.

She forced her eyes open and looked at him. "Do what you have to."

"Stiles how is that mixture coming?"

"Um it is powdered." Stiles showed the mortar full of the purple powder.

"Good, add water to it and fill a syringe for me."

"What are you going to do?" Scott asked. His entire body was tense with fear and adrenaline.

Stiles handed Derek the syringe. "You both are going to have to hold her down." As he said it, Derek's hand shifted into claws. He poured iodine on his right hand and using his left to brace Megan he dug his claws into her leg. Megan instantly bucked and almost threw Scott off her. It took the combined effort of all three of them to hold her down. Derek kept digging in until he hit bone. There imbedded in her tibia was the tip of the blade. It burned the tips of Derek's finger as he used his claws to pull it out. By now Megan had passed out from the pain. Using the syringe Derek injected the solution directly into the wound. The bleeding just stopped. His hand had reverted to normal. Using his fingers he followed the trail the silver had left guiding the liquid wolf's bane over the wound. Megan's body jerked in reaction to the pain but she remained unconscious. The syringe was empty. Derek stepped back and grabbed a bottle of saline which he repeated the process, only this time washing away the wolf's bane. Already Megan's flesh began to pink up and resemble healthy meat. Derek grabbed several pieces of gaze and surgical tape. Pressing the wound shut, he laid gauze over the wound and tightly taped it in place then wrapped the animal bangage as tight as possible around the wound.

"Shouldn't we stich her up?"

Derek shook her head, "Her body will heal the wound." He walked over to the sink and began to wash the blood and iodine off his hands.

"We need to keep her warm, feed her fluids as soon as possible and some protein." Derek walked back to his patient. He touched Scott's shoulder. "You can let her go now."

Both Stiles and Scott stepped back. "You were amazing," Stiles said.

Derek tossed a towel in the trash. "No, I was lucky."

"Will she be ok?" Scott asked.

"She'll live, but she will have a new scar."

"I thought we could heal anything?"

"Silver is our weakness, there is some truth in the legends." Derek watched Megan's chest rise and fall. Stiles was the one to break the silence.

"Will one of you two please tell me what the hell just happened?" He made sure that the wolf's bane was washed out in the sink and started to clean the blood off his hands.

"Hunters," Scott said. The night had been surreal, even now, he had trouble remembering where all the pieces fit. His wolf had been in control and yet, they had won? The only reason Megan got hurt was because she had been the one to take the offensive, while Scott had hid in the shadows. It dawned on them that now the hunters knew who she was. "Crap."

"What?" Stiles asked.

"Derek, she shifted back to human, they know who she is like they know who you are."

"And what do you think they are going to do about that?" Derek shot back.

"But they don't know about Scott, do they?" Stiles asked.

"Not yet, but…" Scott started to say then Derek cut him off.

"We keep it like that. You are the only one who can give us an edge Scott against them."

"I hate this." Scott's mind filled with thoughts of Allison. Megan had broken her aunt's arm and they had threatened her father. God it was only a matter of time before they connected the dots.

"You two need to go home," Derek said. "I will take care of her."

"But…"

"No buts, you need to keep up appearances at school, this is getting to dangerous now to risk anything else. I will clean up and get rid of the evidence."

"What about her?" Stiles asked.

"She just needs to rest and should be alright in a few days." Scott met Derek's eyes. "I promise I won't let anything bad happen to her. Now go."

Stiles touched Scott's shoulder and the two them left Megan with Derek. Stiles drove while Scott debated back and forth about going back. Derek was right, he could handle Megan, but Scott could not shake that this was his responsibility. She had only gotten hurt because she had taken down Kate. Stiles, for once, kept quiet.


	5. Chapter 5

Pack Mate Chapter Five

_Journal Entry 2432_

_ Derek has been very… kind, a little strange, but kind. He is nothing like Laura. True they have the same determination in their quest to find the alpha, but at least Laura could laugh about it. He is so standoffish, and quiet. I swear he is watching me while I sleep. He tried to talk to me about her, but that didn't go so well, not that I can blame him, after what I did to Scott. He probably thinks that I was just using Laura, which is not far from the truth; we were using each other for mutual goals. What he never let me tell him was how, more often than not, Laura was the only one who had a clue about how bad things were for me, I have no doubt that she could smell the blood when things got bad with mom. I miss Laura sometimes… she was the closest thing I had to a friend, even though we only talk a handful of times._

Megan didn't show up for school the next day or the following, which was no big surprise but by the fourth day, Scott and Stiles were both becoming concerned. Scott's hand healed over night from where the silver had touched him but could remember the burning sensation. Stiles was the first to suggest that they go visit Megan at Derek's house. Stiles drove and made sure they had a care package. Pulling up to the Hail house, Derek was waiting for them. Scott and Stiles got out the car, Scott carrying the box full of clothes, food and first aid supplies.

"What's going on?" Derek asked.

"How's Megan?" Scott asked.

"She left two days ago, wasn't she at school?"

"Wait, what do you mean she left?" Stiles asked. "She was stabbed by silver, you said it would…"

"Take time to heal. She was up and walking by the second day, even the scar was fading. She said she had to go home."

"You were supposed to watch her!" Scott snarled.

Derek loomed over Scott, and Stiles took a step back. "I am not her keeper."

"Ok, you said she went home," Stiles said redirecting the conversation. "Do either of you know where that is?" Scott and Derek both glared at him. "Ok, that answers that. Google you are my grand and glorious master, help us out." While Stiles worked on his phone, Scott dumped the box back into the car.

"Scott," Derek said coming over. "I wouldn't have let her go home if I was worried about her life being in danger. She is a tough girl."

"I thought you said she was crazy." Scott was surprised to see Derek change his mind on anything.

Derek shrugged and leaned up against the hood of Stile's jeep. "She is but that doesn't mean she can't take care of herself."

Was this Derek trying to be reassuring? What about all that talk about responsibility for infecting someone with the curse. Scott didn't like it and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, that Megan was in some sort of danger. "What about the hunters?"

A wolfish grin spread across Derek's face. "I don't know about you, but they have left me alone all week. Though I hate to see what new show down the next full moon will bring."

Scott suppressed a shiver. He hated feeling like he was going to be fighting for the rest of his life. It was too much, the curse, the hunters, and now Megan and her drama. Why couldn't his life be simpler where all he had to worry about was making Allison laugh and doing well with lacrosse?

"Are you worried that she was kidnapped?" Derek asked.

Scott shrugged. He had been at Allison's several times this week. Nothing had changed. The Argens had made up some story about Kate's broken arm, and she was on bed rest. But nothing seemed to indicate that they suspected Scott or were keeping a prisoner somewhere in their home. Still… Megan had said that her grades were the most important thing in her life, besides the bite, and she wouldn't just miss school like that, would she? Scott could not shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"I got it!" Stiles shouted. "She lives like five minutes from the yuppie neighborhood."

"Let's go," Scott said and was surprised when Derek stood up as if to come.

"Um, what are you doing?" Stiles asked.

"You're driving this time, my suspension is shot and I can't get it fixed until Saturday." Derek held the door for Scott. "I call shot gun."

Stiles and Scott exchanged a look and piled into the car. Better to have extra help if something really was wrong, though Stile's back seat or lack of one left a lot to be desired. Scott's rear was complaining at every bump as they came to stop at the largest house on the block.

"Stiles are you sure you got the right address?" Scott asked.

"It's what her DMV record states, damn, her family must be loaded."

"Then why does she wear those old clothes?" Scott said.

Derek studied the house sniffing the air. "No, I think she was telling us the truth, this house is the lie." Derek got out the car.

"Where are you going?" Stiles hissed.

"We need a closer look, and trust me we are not going to get it sitting in the car."

Scott and Stiles watched him walk towards the house. A handful of heartbeats passed and they scrambled out of the car. The house was even bigger up close. The yard was extremely low maintenance. There was a white picket fence wrapping around the immaculate exterior. The house couldn't have been more than a few years old. The mail slot was in the front door. No papers littered the path. Scott glanced in the window and saw a nice clean living room and Stiles did the same to the dining room. It looked like no one was home.

Someone whistled. Derek stood around the side of the house motioning them over. Scott and Stiles followed him over. Scott's nose took over as he followed the same scent that Derek had found. A rope ladder hung on the side of the house a good six feet from the ground.

"What the hell?" Stiles said.

"I didn't smell her near the front of the house, do you think this is how she comes and goes?" Scott asked.

"I guess," Derek said.

"This doesn't make sense," Stiles said.

"Whatever made you think this girl made any sense," Derek cocked his head to listen. "I don't hear any movement going on in the house. No one's home."

"Should we go up?" Scott asked.

"I'm not sure that is a good idea, did you see the security on the houses around here," Stiles pointed across the street. There were cameras mounted. "I think we have been spotted by the neighborhood watch already."

"What are we going to do then?" Scott asked.

"I will wait here for her to get back." Derek studied the area, trying to figure out where to avoid the cameras and still watch the house.

"We don't even know if she will come back here," Stiles pointed out.

"We don't have anything else to go on," Scott sighed. "I'll stay, she's my responsibility."

"And what if the hunters show up?" Derek asked.

"We can handle them together."

"I don't think that is a good idea."

"Well I don't care what you think," Scott said as his lip began to curl into a snarl. He and Derek glared at one another. Stiles just watched and knew better than to get in between them.

"I'm going to see if my dad can turn up anything," Stiles said. "You two have fun… try not kill each other."

Scott broke the stare first and looked at Stiles. "Good idea, Stiles. Call me if you find her."

"Right." Stiles looked reluctant to leave but with neither Derek nor Scott tried to stop him he climbed back into his Jeep and stared the engine. When he looked back to where the two werewolves were having their faceoff, he found the street empty.

"I hate it when they do that," Stiles mumbled and drove off.

Scott and Derek hid in the backyard amongst the bushes for over three hours. Neither really had anything to say. Derek continued to watch the house and street. Scott did the same but he could not maintain the high alert tenseness that Derek seemed to excrete from every pour. Instead, Scott found it more interesting to watch the neighbors. Most of the home owners, if not all, didn't have children, but they did have at least three luxury cars. He had never seen so many BMWs, Mercedes, and Porsches in one place before. Heck he doubted he'd even seen most of these vehicles around town. The neighborhood was quiet, but just as quietly it shouted _Stay out!_

Just past twilight, Scott finally heard something and so had Derek. The scrape of boots on the pavement was as loud as a car engine to their heightened senses. Not many people in this neighborhood would walk. Derek had chosen a place down wind, to better hide their location. Could it be the hunters? Watching from the shadows a tall figure carrying a shopping bag and what looked like books approached the house. The figure crossed into a streetlamp illuminated Megan's face, and a breath that Scott had not known he had been holding, escaped between his lips.

Megan reacted as if she was being attacked. The bag and her books fell to the pavement and she crouched down low, eyes glowing gold. Derek and Scott stood up letting her see them. Scott put his hands up in a gesture of surrender.

"Jesus, you scared me," Megan said, pulling her wolf back.

"Scared you, you scared us. Where have you been?" Scott demanded.

"Seeing my lawyer." Megan scooped up the bag and began to collect her books.

"For two days?"

"It takes a long time to get to the city and back when you don't have transportation, as if it is any of your business." Megan glared at them. "Why are you here?"

"Why were you seeing a lawyer?" Derek asked.

Megan reached into her bag and pulled out a manila folder. "Check it out. In two days I will be legally an adult."

"Um… congratulations?" Scott said glancing at the papers and handing them back to her.

"I see you found my secret entrance," Megan gestured to the rope ladder.

"Is that how you get into your house?"

"The front door isn't always the safest route," Megan said. "But I don't have to take the batman way. Come on."

Megan led them around to the front door. Pulling out some keys from her backpack, she pushed open the door. The pile of mail was blocking the entrance but the werewolves managed to maneuver through. Derek went ridge his hand grabbing Megan, Scott looked at him then the smell hit them. Megan started to tremble. She ripped away from Derek's grasp and bolted upstairs with Derek and Scott at her heels.

"Mom? Mom where are you?" Megan shouted.

Once they reached the top of the stairs the fairy tale of upper class suburbia fell away. The upper floors were a rat's nest of take-out boxes, old clothing, soiled linens, and numerous debris that Scott didn't even want to try to identify. There were crack pipes, gravity bongs, cocaine free base kits, syringes, roach clips, and drug paraphernalia everywhere. One room had four dead bolts on the side. They obviously were not for keeping someone in but to keep someone out. It had to be Megan's room, but there was no time to investigate.

Megan made a direct line for the master suite which is where the stench was the strongest. Derek pushed past Scott who staggered back at the assault from the smell. The room was the worst of the carnage. A woman lay in bed, wearing a soiled pink silk nightgown. Her features were hauntingly similar to Megan's. Behind bleach blond hair and smeared make-up frozen hazel eyes stared up at them. There were pictures of the woman plastered to the walls of her younger days; some of them were covers of fashion magazines. This woman had once been a model. She had the height but years of drug abuse had robbed her of anything attractive in her figure. The woman was a twig, and under the silk they could see the stark outline of her ribs and her bones pressed up against her skin.

Megan's eyes glowed gold and glistened with unshed tear. Her hands and teeth clenched. A needle in her mother's arm; but the track marks and scars are clearly visible on the arms that were like toothpicks wrapped in flesh paper. There were scars there that matched what Scott had seen on Megan's own arm, like matching tattoos documenting a shared painful history. A quiet high pitched noise began to escape from between Megan's clenched teeth.

Derek grabbed Megan and turned her away from the body. Her eyes flashed and the noise became a whine as her fangs began to grow. Derek shook her hard.

"Snap out of it!" he shouted.

Megan blinked furiously several times. Scott swore he could smell the scent of fur forming. Megan's clawed hands dug into Derek's arm and he winced but didn't let her go. Megan continued to blink as if she could not focus. Her heart was racing and she jerked to look back at the body and collapsed bodily into Derek who staggered to catch her. Scott was by their side in an instant, the scent of the rotting corpse filled his nose but he was able to get ahold of them both and help Derek to support her weight.

The pain was raw and brilliant on Megan's face as tears streamed from her wolf eyes, but she didn't progress any further into the shift.

"Let me go," she whispered.

"I don't think that is a good idea…" Derek started to say… then Megan kneed him in the balls.

Derek toppled over taking Scott with him to the floor. Megan bolted next to her mother's side and into the stained bed. She didn't even register the smell. Her fingers fiddled with a necklace around her mother's neck breaking the chain. Then ever so carefully she pressed her lips to her mother's forehead.

"I will make them pay, I promise," Megan whispered. "Rest…be at peace."

Derek managed to pull himself off Scott and both of them watched as Megan slowly reached up and closed her mother's lifeless eyes. She scooted back off the bed and stood. The wolfish aspects of her shift had reverted to normal. Derek and Scott could visibly watch as Megan pulled back her emotions and a blank mask slipped into place. Even her scent changed as her heart rate slowed. It was terrifying. Scott had never seen _anymore_ do something so inhuman.

"Scott you can't be here when the cops get here," Megan said, her voice was cold and distant and devoid of emotion.

"But…"

"No one can know you have a connection to me or to Derek. It is too dangerous for you." There was no kindness or concern just cold bluntness of the truth.

"Can you hold it together until the police get here?" Derek asked. Megan nodded.

"I am not leaving you." Scott stared at them with a stubborn frown set in his jaw.

"Yes, you are," Derek said grabbing him.

"Actually Derek, you need to leave too," Megan said getting lost in a glazed look as she hovered around the body.

"I am not going to leave you here alone." Derek crossed his arms.

"How are we going to explain your being here?" Megan asked.

"I can pose as your boyfriend…"

"And get arrested for statutory rape?" Megan shook her head. "No. This is a human problem, one from my human life and I will not have you dragged down into another police investigation. You need to go."

"And if you lose control again?" Scott asked.

"I am in control."

"But if you lose control I cannot risk you hurting anyone." Derek looked her up and down, she seemed so in control but he knew firsthand how fragile such control was in the face of grief and guilt and shame.

"Then you can stay outside, but the cops must find me with the body and no one else."

Megan had a point and Derek's mind was reeling. He had disliked his last trip to the sheriff's station when Stiles and Scott had had him arrested for the murder of his sister. Laura would have loved the irony of that one. But Megan was right, this was a real human problem to deal with, not some supernatural alpha's mind game. Derek's wolf side wanted to protect them but the human logic won out.

"Fine, but we will be only minutes away." He grabbed Scott by the arm and headed for the door.

Megan could hear their footsteps as they exited down the stairs and out the backdoor. She pulled out the phone from under the bed and dialed 911. Looking at her mother, she bit back the tears. She had always know it was a matter of time, but for the last month her mother had stuck to pot and LSD, seeing the heroine meant only one thing… her uncle had come to visit.

Megan had checked her door to find it still locked when she had come in and the small traps that she had in place proved no one had been inside. Still, this meant she had to speed up her time table, things were getting desperate and she wondered if her uncle suspected.

"911 what is your emergency?" the operator asked.

"My mom just OD and I think she is dead," Megan said. The operator's tone changed in an instant and Megan could hear her breathing become more intense as the woman rattled off her questions. Megan answered each and every one of them. In the distance she could already hear the sirens. Megan walked down the stairs and stood in the door way watching as people began to pour in. The sheriff arrived first, followed by Stiles in his jeep, followed by the paramedics and numerous on lookers.

Megan sat on the porch and let them do their job. People asked her numerous questions, most she answered, but with very few words. The paramedics checked her out, took her blood pressure and wrapped a blanket around her. There were words about shock and posttraumatic stress. Stiles was doing everything he could to get to her, but Megan didn't care. Her plan had to change and right now she couldn't even bring herself to care. She had to trust that her safe guards in place would keep the police away from what she needed to escape. She would show them, but in her own time.

The coroner came after the paramedics had checked out the body. People were discussing the house and how her mother had been a good quiet neighbor, how Megan could be seen now and then, and the visits by her uncle to take care of his sister who was obviously 'sick' with some sort of illness that kept her in doors.

The body was wheeled out on a gurney in a black body bag and packed up into the medical examiner's van. Megan didn't even care, it was just a shell now. Her mother was gone. She knew the police would be calling her uncle if they had not already. He would show up or send one of his goons. Megan couldn't be here when that happened. Straightening her spine she stood up and walked over the sheriff who was arguing with Stiles.

"Can I go?" Megan asked.

"I think the paramedics want to take you to the hospital," the sheriff said. "Besides where would you go?"

"I have a friend I can stay with." Megan shot a glance at Stiles hoping he could read between the lines. Thankfully he did.

"Yeah, they are as worried about you as I was," Stiles explained.

"Don't you have an uncle?"

"We don't get along," Megan said flatly which was an understatement. "I'd rather be with people who care about me rather than with someone who has treated me like a burden and some sort of obligation that is a waste of time."

"I'm sure…." The sheriff started to say, but Megan cut him off with a look.

"He refused to put my mother into rehab and insisted I take care of her on my own, trust me that man had no love for us."

"Well, what about your friends…"

"I can drive her to her friend's house, dad," Stiles offered.

"I'm not sure…" the sheriff eyed Megan and his son. Stiles always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but the Sheriff could not fault his son for wanting to help. Megan looked like she might collapse at any moment from shock, but she had already refused the hospital.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" the sheriff tried one more time.

Megan shook her head. "Stiles can take me." She paused and looked back at her house. "Please."

"I will need to be able to get ahold of you tomorrow. You have to come to the station and give a statement. We need to figure out what is to be done with you and perhaps child services with be involved…"

"No need." Megan slipped out the paper from her bag and handed it over to the Sheriff. He frowned as he read it. Granted this document didn't go into effect for two days, but she was certain he wouldn't push the issue. Stiles had been right, he was a good man.

"Alright," he grumbled then turned to Stiles. "But you make sure she is taken care of and gets some rest before coming home, young man."

"No problem, dad." Stiles put an arm gently around Megan and led her back to his jeep. Megan settled into the front seat and after Stiles had closed the door she rested her head against the glass. It was cool against her hot skin, but despite being hot she kept the blanket on that the paramedics had given her, she was shivering.

Stiles was talking to her, but Megan didn't care. It was all she could do to keep it together. The grief, guilt, shame were building inside her chest turning into a ball of cold hard rage. Her heighten senses were numb as she stared out the window, fighting with every breath to stay human and whole. Somehow with all the police and other people around, it had been easier. Stiles realized she was ignoring him and began furiously texting, while driving to Scott.

The jeep pulled up to the Hail house and Megan practically fell out of the door. Stiles bolted out after her but she was already walking towards the house. He began to follow her. Megan stopped and pulled the blanket tighter around herself.

"Stiles go home." Her voice hardly sounded human.

Stiles had enough sense to stop in his tracks. Where the hell was Scott or Derek? "I promised to see you inside…"

Megan spun claws tearing into the blanket as she turned on Stiles, eyes a glow and fangs bared. "Get away from me!"

Stiles was so shocked he lost his balance and fell back until he crashed into the side door of his car and fell on his butt. "Oh, crap."

Megan could smell his fear, read his panicked body language…prey, the wolf told her. She dropped to a low stance letting her wolf side take over. Stiles was struggling to get to his feet, but always watching her. Pressed up against his jeep he was almost trapped. Megan felt a growl escaping her throat.

The impact of Derek flanking her side and taking her down knocked the wind out Megan. But she recovered quickly and tore into her new enemy. Scott took this moment to jerk Stiles up and around the jeep.

"Stiles you need to go," Scott said. Both boys looked over at Derek and Megan who were enmeshed in fur, flesh, claws and teeth as they rolled and grappled through the forest floor outside the house. Scott could smell blood.

"What about you?" Stiles asked. "What about them?"

"We'll handle it, now go." Scott looked at his friend, this was no place for a human and as if to remind Stiles of that Scott did something he had been practicing. He called on the shift and ran to join the fray. Stiles' engine roared to life and as he drove off, in the rear view mirror he watched as Scott grabbed Megan behind the held and locked her arms. An inhuman scream broke through the air, and Stiles revved the engine leaving his friends behind, praying that they would be alright.

Megan managed to throw Scott off breaking her own bones in the process, but getting free. She tore into his with her teeth. Derek was getting tired but he managed to redirect her so that the bite missed all of Scott's major organs. There was nothing human left in Megan's eyes, Scott and Derek, crouched low, both bleeding as they circled Megan. Scott could not explain it but his instincts fell into pace with Derek as they hunted her together, working as a team without any preplanning. Scott read the signals Derek sent him without saying a word.

Megan picked up on some of this but not all and managed to charge at Scott one more time. This time, he was ready. Sidestepping, Scott pulled Megan into a strange sort of hug, allowing her claws to dig into his sides, but keeping her jaws from his throat. Derek took the opportunity to clasp his hands above his head and bring the full force of both his arms down on the back of her head, completing the knock out strike.

Megan collapsed on top of Scott, her claws retracted and slowly the shift melted away. She was a girl again, bloody and asleep. Derek pulled her off Scott who lay panting, but human and just as bloody, on the ground. Derek held Megan. She whimpered in her sleep but nuzzled closer to him. She did not wake up.

"You ok, Scott?" Derek asked.

"I'll heal." Scott pulled himself up ignoring how battered and bruised he felt, but already the cuts were healing. "What about her?"

"She's healing, but that is only her body. I don't know about…"

Derek didn't have to finish his sentence. Megan was dealing with something Scott could only imagine in his worst nightmares. His mother was his only parent who seemed to give a damn about his dreams. He hadn't even heard from his father since he stopped living with the man. That trial run in father son bonding had failed miserably. After all the abuse, the horror of what it must had been like to live in that rat's nest of a house, Scott could not believe how nice Megan could be, and for the first time he began to understand why she had been so desperate to get out.

"What if she wakes up and she's not Megan anymore?" Scott asked. What if the wolf was all that was left?"

"We kill her," Derek said this is such finality it was like a punch to the gut for Scott, but he knew Derek was right. Recently he had learned that the hunter's code was to kill werewolves that lost their humanity and were off killing people. After what had happened with Stiles, Scott had to wonder if that was what happening to Megan, would she become the next alpha monster? Together Derek and Scott had almost failed at stopping her, she was so strong but insane, like a rabid beast tearing apart her own body to get at them.

Derek laid Megan out on the couch, and pulled the remnants of the blanket over her. He was very careful to smooth away the hair from her face. Scott came in hands shoved in his pocket and watched.

"What do we do now?" Scott asked as Derek disappeared into another room.

"We wait and see." Derek returned with some clean clothes, a first aid kit, wet wipes, and another blanket. He tossed a shirt at Scott and tore off the remains of his own pulling on a fresh t-shirt. Pulling wet wipes from the box Derek removed most of the blood from his arms, neck, and face. Scott followed suit. Derek leaned over and did the same for Megan. When he was finished, he draped the blanket over her. Through all the grooming she did not wake or even respond to the touch of another person. Derek tossed Scott a protein bar and they sat down to wait.


	6. Chapter 6

Pack Mate Chapter 6

The memories have teeth. _"Please, please forgive me."_ Megan's father had whispered to her as she held his hand. He never came home after that last visit to the hospital. Megan wondered if he had secretly known about the life he would leave her too. Her mother had already begun her downward spiral with the booze. Megan just missed her father, and all the words she wished she had known to be able to tell him. But there was no way a ten year old could have verbalized such love and such pain. Within her mind she had learned to escape and now for the first time in her life Megan wondered what she had sacrificed in order to survive. Never had she felt so alone. Pain welled up in Megan's soul, escaping like a whimper and a whine she forced into a strangled silence.

Scott was the first to realize that Megan had regained consciousness. He came over to her reaching out. In a flash Megan had bolted back off the couch and into a huddled ball that wiggled under a table.

"Derek what is wrong with her?" Scott asked.

"I was afraid of this." Derek said coming up next to Scott.

"What is happening to her?"

"The human mind can only deal with so much. She is reverting to her animal side to cope."

"What do we do?"

"If her wolf is doing the talking we have to bring her back by speaking the same language."

"What does that mean?" Scott watched as Derek stalked over to Megan. She pushed further away; every aspect of her body language was submissive and said DON'T TOUCH. Moving faster than either Megan or Scott had expected, Derek reached under the table and yanked out the distraught werewolf by the neck. Megan came out with all claws and teeth. Scott stared at her as Derek crushed Megan to his chest. She bit and clawed his shirt to shreds, but he held on. Then all the fight went out of her. The same mewing whine escaped her throat. Derek reached up and began to stroke Megan's hair. Still her body was ridged against his.

"Scott I need you," Derek whispered.

"What do I do?" Scott asked creeping forward.

"Help me hold her. She needs to feel pack around her…"

"But…"

"Please just do it, help me save her." Derek was fighting to keep himself calm and Scott could see that even though Megan's eyes were wide open, she wasn't seeing anything. Everything Derek was doing was talking to her wolf, just like she had when she seduced Scott. Scott pushed the thought away and reached out his hand. Ever so slowly he pressed against her back along the bare skin. Megan went ridged again and Derek bolted forward and pulled Scott against Megan's back, so that both men made to sandwich her between them. For an instant Megan body tensed as if to fight, but then she relaxed leaning into them making her more enmeshed with their. Scott could hear their hearts beat. Derek's was smooth and steady, Megan's was like a fluttering bird, and Scott's own was racing, but after several moments, their hearts synced up. Scott felt something he had never known, a feeling of safety and love welled up encompassing them all. _Pack_. His mind whispered. _Family_.

There was no way to gauge how much time had passed, but Scott lifted up his head from Megan's shoulder. Derek was staring at them, a tear running down his face. His eyes held so much pain and for the first time Scott got to peek around the cold exterior. Megan wiggled between them and Derek released his grip. Like a choreographed dance move the three pack mates separated. Megan pulled her knees up to her chest, Scott sat back leaning on his arm and crossing his legs and Derek stood.

Megan looked back and forth between the boys. Her heart was calm, they all looked human but there was a presence in the air that echoed the feeling of togetherness.

"Thank you," Megan whispered. Derek nodded.

"What did you…we do?" Scott asked.

Derek ran his fingers through his hair recomposing himself. "Remember what I said about the pack making the individual stronger?"

"Yeah."

"What we just shared was the pack bond. It is like I have been telling you Scott, we need each other, to be strong."

"It felt so …" Scott started to say, "Right," Megan finished.

Derek nodded. "We have all been operating as lone wolves, but that is not how wolves or werewolves operate. My whole family shared that bond, even among our human relatives. It was so special."

Scott looked up at Derek. Even as the three of them sat in separate corners of the room, Scott could feel the bond, it was like a balm on his heart and turbulent emotions. By sharing each other's pain they had shared each other's strength. The thought of losing this feeling was almost too much to bear. How had Derek survived the death of his family? Of his sister? The hunters really had no idea, and neither had Scott until this moment. Climbing to his feet Scott held out his hand to Derek. Derek reached out and grabbed Scott's arm forcing Scott to embrace him in the same way.

"Brother," Scott whispered. "I get it now."

Derek gave him a small smile. "Now what are we going to do with you?"

Megan blinked at them. "I am sorry. Please, …please forgive me."

"I understand," Derek said standing next to her he leaned down and took her by the arm. Ever so gently he raised her up. His shirt was in shreds as were Megan's clothing. Derek forced her chin up to face him. "You have lost everything, even if it was crap, that was your family."

Megan nodded. "Now what is going to happen to me?" she whispered.

"This is our pack as long as we stay loyal to one another." Megan nodded, and Derek shot Scott a look. Scott reluctantly nodded as well. "Every pack has a leader, unless either of you want to fight me for dominance, I am your leader, and you will obey."

Scott frowned but Megan nodded. "Scott, this is how a pack works. In a wolf pack there is a title, not a distinction. We maybe Beta's but we do have a natural pack structure. Your pack leader is in charge of teaching the younger ones, to keep them safe, to give them control, safety, and a united purpose. There can be no defiance, unless you wish to claim leadership for yourself."

Scott stood there, uncertain. Megan looked at him; there was fear there in her eyes. She seemed to be silently begging him to do this, to protect the aura of safety they had all shared to keep them together.

"Fine, you're our leader."

"And you will obey me," Derek said releasing Megan.

Scott clenched his jaw but he said the words," I will obey." With the one phrase all the fight left him along with the tension and need to be stubborn. Megan and Derek visibly relaxed as well.

"We are finally whole," Derek said.

"But now what do we do?" Scott asked.

Derek turned on Megan. "Now missy you are going to tell me what your master plan was, since it is fairly obvious that your mother's death was not part of it and we are going to dig our way of this mess."

Megan nodded and stood up. "It is better if I show you, we need to go back to my house."

"I have a change of clothes for both of us in the car." Derek tossed his keys to Scott. "Fetch."

Scott wanted to respond but something in him stopped the stubborn questioning and he went to the car to get the clothing. Soon they had all piled into Derek's sports car and were heading to Megan's house. She opted to for the back seat despite her height. The streets were empty but crime scene tape extended around the perimeter of the house. Stiles had done his part and reported the body. Obviously his dad had taken him home. Scott made a mental note to call his best friends as soon as he could find his phone. Derek parked and everyone got out. Megan stood before the house, feeling nothing about the darkest part of her past which stood in front of her. At her back she could feel the warmth of the pack bond.

Derek parked several blocks from the house at Megan's insistence. Megan took lead and guided the way back to her house. As they walked up the stoop, the door was unlocked as she pushed it open. Scott and Derek at her back, they entered in the house. New smells filled the air of all the people and investigators. The smell of rotting flesh still filled the house with his reek. Megan ignored it and headed up the stairs, instead of heading to the master suite has she had before she turned to her bedroom. The door had been destroyed, not by a beast but by technology. A good deal of the money that Megan had avoided spending on clothing and other creature comforts had gone into paying for that door. The four deadbolts had been picked but it was the metal that had been torn from the bar on that back that Megan had placed before she snuck out the window several nights before, was what had led to the demolition of the metal door.

"Jesus," Scott swore looking at the door. Megan just pushed it aside.

The cops had been in here too. On her walls were pictures of the town, people from all over, connections tied together with pins and various colors of yarn. On the shelves her journals were knocked over. All the notes that were in the open were in Megan's own code. People had rifled through her personal items, but nothing seemed to be missing. The bathroom had more tap and Scoot peaked inside. Around the toilet were the blood stains from Megan's earlier experiments where she had removed her scars and flushed the skin tissue down the drain.

"What is all this?" Scott asked.

Derek was studying a picture of his family and the large still of him inside his house that couldn't have been more than a month old. Scott's photo was there too along with everyone he cared about. There were other people, men that neither Scott nor Derek recognized. These had the most notes and images and strings associated with them. Megan noticed the intense gaze Derek gave the man in the center.

"That's my uncle," Megan explained.

"You have been watching us for some time." Derek looked at her. This girl had put together a better collection of family portraits than Derek had seen his own family collect before their house had burned down.

"You have everyone up here that I care about, even my dad." Scott looked hurt again.

"I am a manipulative, antisocial, brat, but I am thorough," Megan said. "There is my plan Derek. Everything I put together, everyone I studied and pulled into this, offered some piece of information that brought me one step closer to bringing my uncle down."

"What do you mean by that?" Scott asked.

Megan walked to the center of the wall and lifted up several sheets of paper to reveal a group photo. She pulled it down and handed it to Scott who shared it with Derek.

"I've seen him somewhere before…" Scott couldn't remember but he knew this man had been on the news, not that he watched much of the news.

"What are all these marks?" Scott asked.

"A cypher, I write everything in code. Keeps things organized and protected from people who might be a little too nosy, like my mother, from getting hurt."

"You know, you still haven't explained anything," Derek said.

"I have been collecting states evidence on my uncle for over three years. His associates, their dealings, the drugs, the money, all of it." Megan fiddled with the wall and frowned. Closing her eyes she held up one hand and claws appeared. With a burst of speed she punched through the dry wall and reached inside. When she removed her hand it was back to normal and there was a jump drive along with a manila envelope in her hand.

"What is that?" Scott asked.

"Evidence, well some of it." She checked the files and satisfied turned back to her pack mates. "We can go now."

"What about all this?" Scott gestured to the wall.

"Leave it, all I need is that photo and this." Megan deposited everything into her shoulder bag. Then she froze. "Do you smell that?"

Derek and Scott froze. The smell of gasoline wafted up to them.

"Move!" Megan yelled and pushed Scott towards the window that Derek was already climbing out of.

They fell out onto the backyard running for the outskirts just as the house went up in flames. A large explosion pushed them on and deposited debris all around them. Megan stood up and watched as her house burned. Megan turned and faced Scott.

"I need your cell phone."

"What?" Scott couldn't believe it, the explosion had left his ears ringing and his nose full of smoke. Megan held out her hand.

"Phone, now."

"But your house just blew up! Who would do that?" Scott asked but surrendered his phone.

"My uncle," Megan said and she furiously sent out several texts, and called a long distance number. She held the phone to her ear and listened. It was interesting to hear only one side of the conversation, normally Scott have eavesdropped but the reverberation of the blast left his hearing only at a normal human level.

"It's time…. No I am safe….I will meet you tomorrow….yes I have it. Oh and you might like to know they just blew up my house…"

"Who was that?"

"My contacts with my attorney, but we need to go." Megan tossed Scott back his phone and a branch snapped nearby. The werewolves hit the deck. A dark figure emerged from the front yard just passed the inferno. He was a large man, muscular and well-built for action. He held a gun at his side as he checked the perimeter. His phone rang and the man put it to his ear.

"It's done, no sign of the girl. She may have gone up in the blaze…no I will make certain."

Derek silently nodded to the others to retreat. Scott pulled back but Megan's eyes were all for that man. Every sense was coming into focus. She would remember him, his scent, what he looked like. He was planning to kill her and she wasn't ready to die. Scott grabbed at her pant leg and finally Megan wiggled back into the darkness. Sirens were already filling the air with their wail. The man turned and disappeared.

"Who was that?" Scott asked and they piled into Derek's car.

"Hit man," Megan said. "Keep to the back roads."

Derek ignored her.

"You're telling me someone has what put a price on your head?" Scott asked.

"I have a lot of damning evidence. Look, Derek if you don't want to stick to the back roads can you at least go the speed limit. Wait where are we going?"

"I am taking you to the sheriff," Derek said.

"No," Megan said.

"But we are in over our heads," Scott pleaded. "We need help."

"You don't get it, these people, they don't quit. They aren't like the werewolf hunters, they will do everything in their power to stop this information from going to trail."

"We are going to the police," Derek snarled.

"I can't let you do that," Megan said and grabbed the wheel. Derek tried to fight her off but the car spun out of control and went off the road, hitting a tree. The airbag exploded and Derek became pinned under the dashboard. Megan managed to wriggle out of the car. Scott was fighting with his seat belt, he yelled at her. "Megan! Wait!"

Megan turned back to face him. "I am sorry Scott, but I can't risk your lives with this. Take care of each other, and if my plan works, I will explain."

Scott finally managed to untangle his seat belt and get free, but Megan was gone. He climbed out of the car and went around to help Derek.

"I am so… going… to kill …her," Derek said through clenched teeth. Scott could smell blood, but Derek was already healing. Together they managed to pry him out of the car.

"We have to track her…" Out of the air came to vials that hit Scott and Derek flush in the chest. "What the hell?"

The oil penetrated into their skin. "Oh god, this is Megan's scent killer stuff."

"Damn it," Derek snarled. She had basically rendered them scent blind.

"She really did have a plan for everything," Scott said and Derek growled at him, then stripped off his shirt. But that really didn't help, the oil was all over his skin and only a hot shower would get rid of it.

"Let's get out of here," Derek said.

"What about your car?" Scott looked at it, the black frame had crumpled and he doubted Derek could salvage anything, the car was totaled.

"Leave it, I will get a tow later, the insurance should cover it."

Derek began to stalk away and Scott followed. He started to text Stiles. This was another adventure for the books. He hoped Megan was alright on her own.


	7. Chapter 7

Pack Mate Chapter 7

Journal Entry 2465

Everything is falling into place, but now I have something to protect and I can't afford any more chances. Derek and Scott must hate me, but they have no idea the danger I pose them both. It was so much simpler when I didn't care about anyone, but at the same time I pray I never go back to that. I hated feeling so dead inside. Still to protect those I care for, I have to walk away to protect them and protect my plan. All my pain and the death, it has to be worth something, I pray I am strong enough to make sacrifice.

Scott had been picked up with Derek, by Stiles late last night. By the time they were home the news was reporting on the house fire as an arson case and that Megan was missing and a person of interest. At school the attitude was tense; everyone was talking about Megan and guessing what was going on. The truth of her mother's over dose and whispers of mafia involvement and tabloid tales filled the hallways.

Allison made a direct line to Scott. "Where is she?"

"Who?" Scott asked.

Allison smacked his shoulder. "Megan, I haven't seen her in like a week and now all this violence. She said you knew her, where is she?"

"No one really knew, her she liked it that way, so I have no idea where she is."

Allison frown and gave him those sad puppy dog eyes. "I'm worried about her."

Scott hugged her, "I'm worried about her too."

"I hope she is alright."

Scott kissed the top of her head. "Megan always had some master plan that she never shared with anyone, so I am certain she is doing something."

"What is she was killed?" Allison asked.

"I think she is smarter than that." Allison gave him a questioning look. "I mean she survived some much other violence, I know it is kind of wrong but she is used to it and expecting this in a way."

"I guess, is Stiles here yet? Maybe his dad knows something."

"I haven't seen him." Allison made a good point and Scott looked around the hallway using his other senses to try and find his friend. No luck. The bell rang almost deafening Scott.

"You ok?" Allison asked.

Scott cleared his head. "Yes, I've got to get to class."

Scott gave Allison a quick kiss and headed to his English class, hoping that Stiles would be there. No such luck. It wasn't until Econ class that Stiles finally showed up. Both Allison and Scott were waiting for him with a million question loaded to bear.

"Where have you been?" Scott whispered.

"Helping my dad, he is looking for Megan," Stiles said chewing on his pencil.

"Does he have any leads?" Allison asked.

Stiles shook his head, and the pit Scott's stomach dropped. He had filled Stiles in last night on the car wreck and what Megan had said about state's evidence after they had dropped Derek off at the Hail house. Stiles no doubt had tried to get some of that information to his dad.

"They think Megan set fire to her house," Stiles whispered.

"What?" Scott asked.

"I hate to break up your little social gathering but the rest of the class would like to get back to Hamlet," their teacher said.

Stiles and Scott mumbled an apology and slunk down in their seats as the lecture continued. Allison passed Scott a note. _Anything I can do to help?_ Scott shook his head. They had to wait and see what Megan would do. Thus far she was a step ahead of everyone. Scott bunched his eyebrows together thinking hard, what had she said earlier, something about needing Stiles' help because of his dad, what did that mean?

Scott was half temped to call the number that Megan had dialed into his phone last night but she had somehow managed to erase his call log and the texts she had sent. He needed to find her. There was a free period coming up and he hoped to put his head together with Stiles to figure things out. He didn't have to wait long.

"Scott!" Stiles said grabbing him by the arm. Stiles pushed his phone into Scott's face as a text flashed on the screen. Megan had texted him. Vet – 1:15 was all the message said. Megan had their schedule down pat with the free period starting at 1 this gave them enough time to sneak off campus to Scott's work. They didn't even talk about it but headed to stile's Jeep and headed out.

Oddly the vet's office was closed. Scott remembered his boss saying something about needing time off for a personal issue, that he had not elaborated on but this was a good thing. Stiles pulled up to the empty parking lot and they got out of the car.

"Where is she?" Stiles asked.

Scott took in a deep breath and caught her scent, but it had faded, she had been here but wasn't now. He followed it around back and under a rock he pulled a note.

"I think she is playing with us," Scott said passing the note to Stiles who studied it.

Written on the note was an address. "Naw, it's like a scavenger hunt. She's just trying to be safe."

"I guess," Scott crawled back into the car and plugged the address into the GPS on his phone. This time they ended up on the far side of town, near a new housing development. As they got out of the car, Scott could smell sawdust, metal, and sweat from all the men who had been working on the site along with various chemicals that made his nose itch. But the place was deserted. Stiles remembered a halt had been called on the project due to some environmental protest.

"Can you find her?" Stiles asked.

"No need," Megan said coming out from a hidden spot behind some dry wall. "Thanks for coming."

"You had us all really worried," Scott said keeping his anger in check.

"I know, but there were things I had to do."

"What kind of things?" Scott asked.

"Bad things," Megan said. It was then that Scott caught the scent of blood. It was on her skin and she had changed her clothing to mask it.

"You killed someone?" Scott whispered.

Stiles looked at him then back at Megan. "No…"

"Trust me, if I hadn't he would have come after all of you. I had to take care of him." Megan watched him with that same cool confidence that Derek had which only pissed Scott off more.

"But you killed someone!" Scott said.

Megan narrowed her gaze at him. "And now I plan to pay for it."

Scott was breathing hard, confused. "How?"

"Stiles, I need to see your dad. It's time."

Stiles blinked. "What you're going to just turn yourself in?"

"That's the plan."

"But," Scott said, thinking rapidly. "You can't go to jail, what about the full moon."

Megan gave him a sad smile. "I think I can control it."

"This is so wrong," Stiles said.

"No, it's fitting. I can handle it. I am the right kind of head case to handle it."

"What are you talking about?" Scott snarled. "You never explain anything. Do you have any clue about what will happen to you in jail?"

"Trust me I am well aware of what will happen. I have a wonderful defense lined up. You saw him, he was a trained killer and would not stop until he found me. He'd go through every student at school until he found you or Stiles or Allison and once he had his information, as little as I left behind he would have tried to eliminate you, and I couldn't have that."

"But you could have gone to the police…" Stiles offered.

Megan shook her head. "No, maybe the feds, but your dad would have only gotten killed in the crossfire."

"So what we're safe now?" Scott asked.

"For now, but not for long, within 24 hours they will know the assassin had failed. They will send someone else."

"Jesus," Stiles swore. "Wait you said you had a defense lined up. You are going to turn yourself in and what go into protective custody?"

"I have lived through hell, the DSMIV categorizes my behavioral traits as being a serious mental illnesses. I used that psych handbook a lot to analyze my family. You can't live through what I have been through and not have some sort of mental disorder."

Scott was even more confused. Derek had said Megan was crazy, but was she really mentally sick? "What's wrong with you?"

"Well other being tortured, killing a man, oh a having a werewolf bite her, I think she is the picture of health," Stiles said with his usual sarcasm. Scott glared at him.

"He's right Scott, actually my ability to compartmentalize my emotions makes me a rather good werewolf. Who knew that being able to shut down your emotions could be such a good thing."

"So what you just don't feel anything if you don't want to? Like you don't care?" Scott shook his head. "I don't believe that."

Megan sighed. Explaining this was difficult at best. "Things have changed in the last month, but when I first met you, it was true, to me you were just a pawn on the chessboard of life. I manipulated you as I saw fit. My disorder is what allowed me to do those things to you, without the normal response or experiences of guilt, shame or remorse. Strangely it wasn't until after I was no longer human that I started acting and feeling like a normal one."

"So what you feel guilty now?" Stiles asked.

"Not because of what I did, so much as because of what I put you through, Scott. Empathy had never been my family's strong suit. You can't be empathetic with someone or something you don't consider to be human."

"So what is your diagnosis?" Stiles asked.

"Well it won't be considered a valid diagnosis until I turn 18, but I believe they call it Antisocial personality disorder or ASPD with a subset of borderline personality disorder or BPD."

"What the hell does that mean?" Scott asked.

"Well before the clinicians filled the DSMIV with jargon I guess you could say I had a dissociative identity disorder and sociopathic tendencies, but I am very high functioning."

"Well at least your high functioning," Stiles said rolling his eyes.

"How's the ADD treating you Stiles? Is it fun to have a condition?" Megan shot back.

Stiles at least had the decency to look a little taken aback. "Sorry."

"Sociopaths have relatively normal temperaments; their personality disorder being more an effect of negative sociological factors like parental neglect, delinquent peers, poverty, and extremely high intelligence. I fit under all of these. My mother was a narcissist and the men she brought home after my dad die were the best the criminal element had to offer. My uncle loves to play mind games to tear apart a person's self-esteem until they are completely beholden to him. I really have a nice background." Megan voice was bitter.

"How can you be sure?" Stiles asked. "I mean has you seen a shirk?"

Megan shook her head. "I am well versed in the use of Wikipedia and all its external links. My research is sound, benefits of higher than average intelligence."

"So now you're smarter than me?" Stiles asked.

"I'm smarter than most people, not just you. Lydia is the only one who ever gave me a challenge with grades, she is pretty much my equal there, but then we can't really judge that in comparison to my side projects."

"You said that after you were cursed, that you felt more human, what did you mean by that? I mean I sure don't," Scott said.

"Really?" Now Scott had her full attention. "You don't feel more alive? More in touch and sensitive to others? Their emotions, their body language, and how they react to you?"

"Well I guess…"

"Scott before the bite I would watch people, how they interacted, and I just didn't get it. I couldn't understand or recognize facial responses or emotional reactions of others. Sure I could pretend when I needed to, but that was only thanks to watching and copying others."

"And now it is different? What one bite and you are all better?" Scott couldn't believe it and her rationalization just made him angry.

"No, not all better, but different." Megan shook her head, she had to admit there were things that nothing but intense therapy and time could fix. "Before I used to think of people as pieces on a chess board, easily manipulated when needed to achieve a certain goal, to hell with the consequences and now they are something more?"

"What? Prey?" Stiles scoffed.

"Some are, others are pack." Megan let her words hang there. The final word had taken on a whole new meaning for Scott, Derek and Megan. "What is it like for you when you shift?"

Megan's question came out of the blue. Scott blinked, switching thought processes. He stood there really considering the change, what did it feel like?

"My pulse begins to race," he said. "Then I get, I get angry, and feel stronger, but that isn't the only trigger."

"Arousal?" Megan asked. Scott nodded. "Most passionate people can walk a fine line between that passion and anger. "

"I guess." Scott looked at her. "Is it different for you?"

"Yes."

"How so?" Stiles asked.

"When I shift, yes, my heart rate rises, but not because I am angry."

"Anger doesn't affect you at all?" Scott couldn't believe that.

"Oh, I would say it was has kept me alive." Megan at her core had a deep seated rage, which she had spent most of her life trying to repress and compartmentalize. That rage is what had allowed to take the beatings, the abuse, and see her mother and the men that she brought into her life as people but as opportunities, victims, targets or accomplices. Even in that moment, when Megan had been trying to 'save' her mother, it wasn't because she felt love for what the woman had been when Megan's father had been alive, but due to a promise and self-imposed obligation.

Megan had spent so much time burying her rage that when she reached inside to touch it, the wash of emotion and flow of feeling was almost orgasmic in how it overwhelmed her. She had only done so twice since her new existence. Most times she had pushed aside the need to focus on how that affected her or controlled her. Talking about things was supposed to help and she had never trusted anyone before.

"I have a darkness inside me," she said slowly. "The anger you described is like a pale flame in comparison to what I have trapped inside me, and you have only seen it come out once."

"The full moon," Scott said.

Megan nodded. Her first shift had been everything she had imagined and more, but what Megan had not expected was that it would strike deep to her core.

"Shifting to a beta form was easy like pulling on a sweater, but that is not what happened to me, was if?" Scott shook his head. "The shift reached down deep into my core, Scott, it was so amazing. The rage I had kept bottled up inside was suddenly free and it flowed through me. I felt invincible, alive, and …free."

"What brought you back?" Scott asked.

"You did, and Derek. You showed me I was not all powerful, and that I was not in control. That was enough to snap me back."

Scott had never known. He had kept her from turning into a monster, and even as he considered this, he realized that he no longer considered himself a monster. The alpha was the true monster and Megan had almost turned out just like him. A chill struck Scott to the core. Megan could go back to being that if she was not careful. He had no idea what to say.

"Look, I know I've kinda wrecked your life a bit." Megan said.

"No…"

"Yes, I did. I dropped my baggage on you and you have stood by me when you had no reason to. I won't forget that."

Scott nodded.

"But I have a deadline, can you take me to the police station?" Megan asked.

Scott and Stiles exchanged a look. Stiles nodded and Scott gave Megan a sad smile.

"Are you sure?" Scott asked.

Megan gave his hand a squeeze. "You're sweet, but I have to pay for what I have done and I have to stop my uncle so he does not come back to this place."

"So you're doing this to protect us?" Stiles asked.

"Yes."

"This is crazy," Scott said.

"Remember when I was out of town before we found my mother?" Megan said as she pulled out some papers.

"Yeah."

"I was meeting with the U.S. Attorney General for an interview with the Marshals Service."

"What, were you applying for a job?" Stiles asked.

"I was enrolling in the witness protection Program."

"What?" Scott asked.

"My uncle, I am testifying against him and I had to turn over state's evidence to my lawyer and the Attorney General. Remember those pictures in my room. Those were copies of the hard copies I had hidden in a safety deposit box, with numerous links to organized crime, not to mention the evidence against what he permitted to happen to me by forcing me to live with my mother."

"You had been amassing this information for how long?" Stiles asked.

"Over three years, it should be enough to put him and several other people behind bars."

"That is why they burned down your house." Stiles was finally putting the pieces together.

"Yeah after my mom OD the handlers saw my room and trashed it first, once the body was gone, they torched the place, but that is why I keep everything in triplicate in various hidden locations."

"Why are you telling us this?" Scott asked.

"Once I turn myself in, I am going to disappear."

"What?" Scott asked. "But you can't what about…?"

"My condition? I will control it, I have too. Either way it will give me an edge when they try to come after me, and don't think they won't."

"That's why you kept everyone at arm's length, so we couldn't stop you." Scott looked at her. How much had been the truth, how much a lie?

"Yes, you don't know anything or even enough to begin to put the pieces together, but Stiles, your dad will be briefed about the situation later tonight prepping for fall out when I am gone, but I kept this a secret because I didn't plan to become connected to anyone."

"But…" Stiles tried to say.

"It's ok, the last month has been the best time of my life. I can only hope that when I am relocated I can be as lucky to find friends like you guys."

"Did you get to pick your new name?" Stiles asked.

"They are giving me one, and no, I have no idea where I am going."

"Will we ever see you again?" Scott asked.

"I will have to come back to testify, if you keep an eye out for the trial, you might get a chance to see me, but I doubt the marshal's will let me stop for coffee, not with all the 24 hour protection and all."

"What about the full moon?" Scott pressed. "It is in a few weeks."

"I'll manage somehow," she smiled. "Who knows there may be a werewolf marshal they will pair me with."

"Not funny," Scott said.

Megan shrugged. She leaned up against the jeep. "Shall we?"

"I don't like this plan," Scott said.

"Scott, I killed someone. I need to pay for that. Let me do this."

Scott looked defeated. She was right. He had no way to deal with her killing someone. It had obviously not been an accident. She didn't even sound upset about it. He opened the door for her to get in. Stiles gaped at him and went around to the other side. They climbed in. The drive to the police station was a short quiet one. Stiles pulled up just as his father did into the parking lot.

The sheriff climb out of the squad car, looking pissed. "Stiles, where have you been?"

"Dad, I found her," Stile gestured to Megan who was being helped out by Scott.

"What?" the Sheriff said as Megan walked up to him.

"Sir, let's get inside and I will explain," Megan handed him the envelope and he looked at it then at her.

"You're in a lot of trouble young lady," he said. Stiles rolled his eyes.

"I am well aware of that, but as you can see those documents are time sensitive."

"Fine, get inside." There sheriff led the way to the door. He turned on Scott and Stiles. "Don't think I forgot about you two."

"Yes sir," Scott and Stiles said in unison.

Once safely inside the police station, Mega was separated from the others. Scott and Stiles could only watch as she was processed. Handcuffs were placed on her wrists in front of her as calls went out. The deputies found the body that she had pointed them too, which only made Stile's dad more upset. He shot Stiles and Scott looks every now and then between questioning Megan and responding to her answers.

"I am so dead," Stiles muttered. "Can you hear anything of what they are saying?"

Scott shook his head. The room had to be sound proof. Only snippets he heard were a few stray words when the door opened. Megan wouldn't even look at him.

A lawyer showed up followed by two suits bearing marshal badges. They took over the interview much to the Sheriff's annoyance. Megan looked like she had been expecting this, which of course she had. The cuffs did not come off but there was a lot of arguing. In the end, Megan signed a paper that the lawyer had pulled from his brief case. One of the marshals removed her hand cuffs and she stood up. They lead her out to the lobby.

"What's going on?" Scott asked.

"I'm being transferred," Megan said. The marshals were making calls. "We don't have a lot of time."

"We will never see you again?" Stiles asked.

"I don't think so," Megan said.

Scott couldn't believe it, she was leaving, the though tore him up inside, he couldn't explain it. Megan stepped forward and gave him a hug.

She whispered in his ear, "_Pack." _ Then stepped back and said louder. "Some bonds are stronger than distance. You two have been true friends to me. Take care of each other."

Stiles gave her a hug. "You too."

The marshals came up and took Megan by the upper arm and led her out the back door and out of their lives. Scott watched her go, more confused than ever. Could he find her? She had been planning this before she had even gotten to know him. He felt as if it was all for nothing. His new family was already breaking apart and he didn't know anything more about her than he had a few days ago and he hated it.

The sheriff gave both Scott and Stiles the third degree. Having a body involved with his kid was not something the sheriff liked and this was the second time Stiles and Scott had gotten mixed up in some mess. Still they had done the right thing, convinced their friend to turn herself in, but listening to that girl talk, well it gave the sheriff shivers and peaked his radar. She was a dangerous person, no wonder the marshals had swooped in and taken her away. Still there were too many loose ends to wrap up and the paperwork was going to be a nightmare.

Scott and Stiles were released later that evening, after Scott's mom had been informed at work. She was on her way home to deal with Scott. Still that meant Stiles had to give him a ride home. Scott had no idea how he was going to explain this to his mother or Allison who had been texting him non-stop since they arrived at the police station.

Scott got in the car, Megan's scent was still there, making him sad but something else. He began to dig around in the back seat.

"What is it Scott?" Stiles asked.

Scott reached up the seat up in a crevice, cutting his hand in the process, but extracting the item. A green jump drive had been hidden under there with a capsule that looked to have dissolved. He wiped his hand and the drive off on his pants, making the smell a little worse.

"I'm not sure. I think Megan left this."

"What's do you think is on it?" Stiles asked starting the car and heading home.

"I don't know, but I guess we will find out."

Scott stuffed the drive in his pocket and stared out at the night's sky.


	8. Chapter 8

Pack Mate Chapter 8

Stiles drove to Scott's house and the two of them shared a somber look as Scott's mother met them at the door. For once, she held her tongue, no doubt thanks to a phone call from the sheriff that had paved the way.

"You doing ok?" his mom asked.

"I'm fine mom," Scott said, but he was far from fine.

Mrs. McCall turned to Stiles. "You are going to stay the night Stiles. I already talked with your father and he is going to be working all night."

"Thanks Mrs. McCall."

"Scott."

"Yeah mom?" Scott turned around and suddenly his mom was hugging him. The tough teenager wanted to pull away, but after all he had seen tonight, he just buried his head in her shoulder and held on tight letting her scent wash over him with the memories of home, family, and love. She held onto him just as fiercely.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again," his mother said and Scott could feel her tears soaking through on his shirt. "I love you, and you did the right thing."

Mrs. McCall managed to grab Stiles' hand and give it a squeeze as well. Scott let go of the hug and stepped back as his mom rubbed her tears from her cheek.

"Now, you two look like your about to fall over. We can talk about this in the morning."

"Thanks mom," Scott said giving her a lopsided smile. She gave him one more quick hug and watched the boys retreat up into Scott's room.

Stiles was grabbing a second chair as Scott sat down in front of his computer. The jump drive emerged from his pocket and Scott plugged it into the USB port. It didn't take long to open a window on the screen and Stiles practically leaned in, as if getting closer to the text would help him absorb it faster. The first document on the disk, was labeled SCOTT. He clicked it and a word document opened up.

_Dear Scott, _

_If you are reading this, than thankfully, my plan was a success. I know you must be pissed. I know you will pass this note onto Stiles as well. I cannot tell you the details of the case but I am leaving you everything I researched on werewolves. On this drive should be the only copy of my work. I hope it can help you in the same ways it helped me. I also am enclosing my journals, my own private rants and musings on my life, I hope it will help you to understand me a bit better, and understand why I did what I did. I have a sense that you have forgiven me, but since you have never said it, I must assume that is not the case, I hope you will someday. I promise you this, if I meet anyone else like us, I will do my best to help them, like you and Derek helped me. Never forget some bonds are stronger than time and the space between individuals. Please don't try to find me, no doubt the Marshals would hate to have to shoot you or relocate me. I never had friends before, and you, Allison, Stiles, and Derek gave me that, at least for a little while, I pray it is enough to teach me to find others in my new life. Be good to one another and honor your gifts and those moments in life that matter. Risks are part of life, and I am thankful I took a risk with you and hope you never left fear hold you back. _

_Your Pack Mate_

_ Megan_

Scott re-read her letter three times before clicking the window to minimize. The file folders are the disk filled over 20G. This was over three years of her intense research and Scott could only imagine it would have taken him three times that amount of time to compile half as much.

"Nice," Stiles whispered. He was grinning from ear to ear. "Can I check it out Scott?"

Scott slid over and allowed Stiles to begin clicking things. There were legends from all over Europe, the Americas, and even Africa all relating to werewolves and shape shifters; hundreds of stories of people being able to change form in a myriad of ways. There was a section on fiction writers which included all the B horror movies that Stiles loved to joke about. More current were hundreds of newspaper clippings about animal attacks all over the US. The attacks by the alpha in Beacon Hills were the most current, but there had to be others, other packs.

Megan had created a whole file on the Hail family and traced their lineage both the human side and the werewolf side. She had made notes to confirm more of these links with Derek since they had only been hinted at by his sister Laura.

"She certainly was thorough," Stiles said. Scott spotted a file.

"Hey, click on that one." Scott pointed to the file marked journal.

Stiles clicked on it and thousands of word files filled the screen each bearing only a number. They were chronological and numerical with date and listing. Stiles moved to click one of the early entries.

_Journal Entry 103_

_ I am scared all the time. Mom doesn't even know me. Drugs are bad. Drugs are bad. Why did he have to leave me? Mom hit me again today. I think I hate her. What is wrong with us? School starts tomorrow and I have to hide the mark. Sometimes I wish I had died with dad. At least we could be together. I hate it here. _

"Jesus," Stiles swore.

Scott nodded and looked at the files. He saw a date he remembered. "That one."

Stiles looked at the date, it was just after Scott's first full moon during the lacrosse game that Scott had helped to win.

_Journal Entry 2302_

_ I found one. Even writing this I am shaking with excitement. I never thought he'd be so pretty, no wonder the popular girls like him. Still the moves he made on the field were amazing, Olympic athlete good. No one gets that good overnight. I am going to have to watch him and see where my opportunity he seems to be dealing with the transition surprisingly well. I know for certain he wasn't one a few weeks ago. Still… Laura had warned me that there might be more turning up if the attacks don't stop. _

"She thinks you're pretty," Stiles teased. Scott hit him. "I'm just saying what she wrote, man."

"She knew, even then, about me. Why did it take her so long to talk to me?" Scott asked.

"Maybe she was intimidated by you."

"Not likely. Here click on the last entry." Scott pointed to the final file.

_Journal Entry 2474_

_ This is going to be my last journal entry. I killed a man. He needed to die to keep everyone I love safe and to seal my past forever. Last night, I met him, and my wolf side wanted to get out. I let him shoot me, to keep me human. It took all my strength to sit there as he loomed over me, gun held to my head. I remember smiling at him; my eyes must have changed like Scott's do when he is angry, because this die hard hit man hesitated. He was afraid. I took my shot and broke his wrist. The gun went off but It was mine. Standing over him, he looked at me, afraid, but was he afraid of his failure or me? What people don't tell you is how easy it is to take a life. I put two in his chest and one in his head, which left the gun empty and heavy in my hand. I plan to give it to the police, who knows how many bodies this gun has attached to it. Besides, I don't really need guns to kill people. But this time I had to do it as a human, as a person, not as a wolf. I pray I never let that side of me out. I think I would like it a bit too much. _

Scott and Stiles sat there in the glow of the computer screen. Neither one spoke as the realization of what had happened sunk in. Scott felt immensely guilty. He had left her to deal with the killer because he didn't want to deal with tracking her. Granted she had made things more difficult but he could have at least tried to follow her. Each step in this little adventure, Megan had been two steps ahead, even when it meant that she was putting herself in mortal danger. Scott had to wonder at those times, when she really had needed him and Derek, it was Megan's trust in him that had allowed those moments to occur. Megan had been able to read him like a book.

Part of him hated her, hated how she manipulated him, used him, and needed him to be more than he had thought possible. And yet, at the same time, he couldn't hate her, he cared for her, not in the same way he cared for Stiles or Allison, but he did care. Megan had shown him things about himself that he would never have learned any other way. She had made him stronger and wiser than before she came into his life. Then there was the bond. Even now if he closed his eyes he could feel it, they were connected and because of their connection they had somehow been able to connect that same bond to Derek. Scott could feel them in the back of his mind, he knew they were safe, and could almost see where Derek was. Megan, her location kept changing. Part of Scott wondered if he could use the bond to find Megan, though she had told him not to.

Scott was suddenly tired. He got up and stripped off his shirt. "I need to sleep."

"You do that," Stiles said, closing the journals and reopening the articles. "I am just going to read some more."

"Knock yourself out," Scott said and he flopped on the bed and passed out.

The next morning, Scott woke to the sounds of bacon frying down stairs. Stiles had finally passed out on the floor last night and was snoring rather loudly. Scott could not believe that he had slept through that racket. The computer was off and when Scott looked the jump drive was gone. A wave of panic washed through him until, on further inspection, he saw that Stiles was wearing it around his next tied there by one of Scott's old shoe laces.

Scott threw on a shirt and headed downstairs, leaving his friend to sleep. His mother was busy in the kitchen, making fried eggs from the sounds and smells that greeted Scott on the stairs. Last night must have been hard for her because she hardly ever made breakfast like this.

"Hey mom," Scott said sliding into the nearest chair.

"Morning kiddo, how many eggs you want?"

"How many you got?" Scott smiled.

His mother smiled back. "Here start with three, and leave some bacon for Stiles."

Scott's fingers were already greasy with four out of five slices that he piled onto his plate. His mother dumped three fried eyes directly from the pan and Scott dug in. He hadn't realized how hungry he was. Megan and Derek had said his body required more protein and his mother's surprise breakfast was like heaven.

"How'd you sleep?" his mother asked.

"Like the dead. You?"

"I didn't really sleep."

_Oh boy, here it comes_. Scott though as he swallowed his second egg.

"Scott I know that you have been through a lot, and I don't understand it all, but I want you to talk to me, tell me about it."

"Mom…"

"Don't mom me, young man. I was worried sick. You were gone for almost two days, and when I finally figure out where you were, it is from the sheriff who tells me that my son was involved with people who deal in drug trafficking."

"I had to help her…"

"You're little druggie friend."

"Mom, she wasn't a druggie, her mother was and I was trying to help her get away from that life."

"And look where you ended up! House burned down, people dying from over doses, Jesus Scott where do you meet people like that?"

Scott was getting angry. He loved his mother but she knew where to press all the right buttons. He felt his heart rate begin to rise and turned away from her so she couldn't see his eyes, just in case.

"Don't turn your back on me, young man." His mother sounded hurt and angry. Scott forced himself to take a deep breath, she was only angry because she was worried about him and because he had scared her last night. Hell if this fight had happened last night, Scott wasn't sure he would have been able to stand here and listen.

"Mom, last night you said we did the right thing," Scott said his voice calm and steady.

With those words, it was like the anger wilted inside his mother. She put down the pan and placing her hands on the side of the sink, took her own deep breaths. Scott could feel the tension drop from the room.

"I know," his mother said surrendering. "I have been in a similar situation in the hospital. I just forget that…that this can happen anywhere and to anyone."

"You should have seen her mom, she had all these scars from where people had hurt her. She didn't really trust anyone and I still have no idea why she decided to trust me."

Scott's mom stood up and reached across the counter to put her hand on Scott's shoulder to turn him around to face her. He wasn't angry anymore either.

"She chose you because you are a good man." His mother smiled. "I keep thinking you're this little kid and it shocks me every time I see the man you've become."

"Mom…"

"Look, I'm allowed to embarrass you, being your mother, and I am going to worry. You'll just have to accept that, along with being grounded for the next month."

"A month?" Scott practically shouted.

"You heard me. School, work and home is all I want to see you doing for the next three weeks."

"But…"

"Scott trust me on this, it is for your own good. Your friends are going to be dealing with the police and won't be able to much either."

"Mom, you don't have to worry about me. I am not going to be able to see Megan again, ever."

"What?"

"She's in witness protection and from what Stiles tells me that means she gets a whole new life, new name, new identity somewhere in the US where she can be safe."

"Well aren't I just the world's greatest mother," Mrs. McCall said bitterly. "I didn't realize Scott, I'm sorry."

"Me too, but mom?"

"Yeah?"

"You're are the greatest mom, trust me. Knowing Megan, what her mother did to her, makes me love our fights and how much you care about me."

"Oh, don't try to butter me up, you're still grounded…" Scott stopped her commentary by giving her a hug.

"I mean it mom, I love you."

Scott's mom brushed his hair back and nodded. It wasn't everyday her teenage son acted so mature. Scott felt older too. He had come back from something and been able to share it with his mother, who was the only real family he still had. Holding her like this he wanted to tell her his secret, to have her know the depth of the danger he was experiencing, but he couldn't tell her. He couldn't bear to have her see him as a monster. Megan was gone but the alpha was still out there. Scott knew that he had to keep those he cared about safe, just like Megan did. She had shown him how to be strong for others could not be, despite what it cost her. Scott just prayed that when his time came, he could be like Megan.


	9. Play List for Pack Mate

Playlist for MTV's Teen Wolf: Pack Mate

Whenever I write a story I always have a playlist of music I listen to when I write. With this story I was able to get music direct from youtube thanks to a list provided by MTV's website. I chose the ones I enjoyed and that kept me in the flow of writing, and then I went through my own music and added songs I love. For those who love music, I hope you enjoy the list.

**Teen Wolf Soundtrack Direct**

Young the Giant – My Body

Kids of 88 – Just a Little Bit

Mike Del Rio – Feel Good

The Static Jacks – Fire on the Bridge and in the Tunnel Below

Ft. Skylar Grey – Words I Never Said

The Ruse – Apache

Lexicon Don – Sleep 2 Dream

Two Door Cinema Club – I can talk

Teddybears – cobrastyle

Deadmau5 – ghosts n stuff

Graffiti6 Annie you save me

Man Is Doomed – Disco Angel

**My Additional Songs**

Tratledge - _Tonight (I'm Loving You)/Only Girl in the World Cover Mash up_ - Song for Scott and Allison

Nu Pagadi - Sweetest Poison – Allison and Scott for one another when his beast rises

Hoobastank – _Crawling in the Dark_ – Megan seeking to become a werewolf

Stabbing Westward - _What Do I Have to Do_ – Megan's obsession to obtain the Bite from Scott

Garbage - _Push It_– Scott dealing with the women in his life

Hoobastank – Right Before Your Eyes – Megan trying to detach from Scott and clear him of his guilt about her new status as a werewolf

Avril Lavigne – _How Does It Feel?_ –Megan watching the world of normal teenagers pass her by

Tori Amos – _Black Dove_ –Megan becoming friends with Allison

Avril Lavigne – _Nobody's Home_ –Megan dealing with her homelessness

Tori Amos – _Spark_ – Megan has to deal with her Mother not being a mother

Evanescence – _Anything for You_ – Megan dealing with her family

Rihanna – Disturbia – Prior to Megan's first change

Thousand Foot Crutch – _Hurt_ – Scott dealing with Megan and her first change

Thousand Foot Crutch – _Move_ – Dealing with Megan when she is confronted with the hunters and her pack

Placebo – _Running Up that Hill_ –Megan in dealing with her mother and her abuse and her conflicted emotions over Scott

Imogen Heap – The Walk – thanks to Stiles Megan finally realizes how badly she has fucked up Scott

Three Days Grace – _Never Too Late_ – Stiles helping Megan deal with her depression and death wish

Thousand Foot Crutch – _This is the Call_ – Stiles and Megan discuss everything about the pack and how people make their own packs in clicks

Stained – _Epiphany_ – Stiles helps Megan deal with her scars

Linkin Park – New Divide – Megan remembers her real enemy her uncle

Evanescence – _Missing_ – Megan dealing with her mother

Pete Yorn – _Undercover_ – Megan says goodbye to Stiles.

Stabbing Westward – _Torn Apart_ –Megan dealing with her mother's death

Good Charlotte – _Hold On_ – the pack comes together humans and werewolves

Linkin Park – _What I've Done_ – Megan stands before her home and sets it aflame

Jem – _24_ – Megan heads out for a suicide mission

Within Temptation – _Stand My Ground_ – Megan stands up to her uncle who is one of the leaders of the hunters

Rise Against – _Prayer for the Refugee_ – Megan kicks some but she is close to dying until Derek and Scott show up to help along with Stiles who somehow got his dad's gun and had made silver bullets

Frou Frou – _Let Go_ – The end of the hopes Megan has to stay in her home town

Avril Lavigne – _Who Knows_ –Last song when Megan walks out of Scott's life and wishes him well


End file.
